Neptune's Ocean
by Pyxelle
Summary: Alvin blames himself when Theodore is involved in a terrible accident.How will he cope with the guilt, and how will the other two chipmunks survive the aftermath of the accident?Will Theodore himself survive(set during their junior year of HS(Complete)
1. Chapter 1

The characters are not mine. The story is.

I don't know what possessed me to write this, as it is quite angsty, but once an idea seizes a writer...

I hope you enjoy it.

Neptune's Ocean 

_Macbeth: "Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?"_

Chapter 1 

"Finally!" Alvin crowed, holding up a white plastic card in his hand. "Freedom!"

"Really, Alvin, " Simon glanced behind them at Theodore, then back to Alvin with a disapproving look on his face. "Don't you think you are being just bit dramatic?"   
"Dramatic? Are you kidding? This is only the greatest thing to happen to me since we started high school!"

Simon sighed. "Alvin, have a care for Theodore. We didn't all pass, you know."

Regret instantly filled Alvin's face, and he turned around and fell back to trail behind with Theodore. His younger brother looked despondent. "I'm sorry, Theodore. Its just that I am so excited."

"Its all right, Alvin." Theodore looked at the ground in front him and then at the red failure slip he held in his hand. "Its just that I can't believe I've been the only one of us to fail my driving exam."

"Lots of people fail the first time. You'll get it next time."

"I guess so." Theodore sighed. "So much for my date with Eleanor tonight. Dave was going to let me use the car, and he's busy. So we don't have a ride."

"Hey, remember this?" Alvin flourished the driver's license he held in his hand. "I'll drive you."

"Really?" Theodore's eyes lit up. "You don't mind?"

"I'm not doing anything tonight." Alvin shrugged. "So, no, I don't mind. Where are you taking Eleanor?"   
Theodore blushed. "Well, it's our first official date, so I wanted to do something romantic. Not just dinner and a movie. So I'm planning a picnic and...and I wrote her a song." If possible, his blush deepened. "Not much of one, I'm afraid, but I hope she'll like it."

Alvin laughed. "It's about time you guys 'officially' dated. Everybody knew ages ago that the two of you should get together."

Alvin didn't think that Theodore could get any redder. "Well, we just wanted to be careful," Theodore said, "so that we wouldn't mess up our friendship. We didn't want it to end up like you – I mean, uh, that-"

"Its alright, Theodore. You can say it." Alvin said, a dark look spreading across his face. "Like me and Brittany, right?"

"You guys will make up." Theodore tried to assure him. "You always do."

"We'll see," Alvin shook his head to clear it. "But I am _not_ going to think about that right now. I'm more interested in what you're making for the picnic."

"Well, lasagna, Mexican pizza, garlic bread, manicotti, taco dip, chop suey, vegetarian tofu salad mold-"

"Whoa, whoa," Simon held up a hand. "I heard at least four entrées in there and I think three ethnicities. You're bringing all that? And just what _is_ vegetarian tofu salad mold? It sounds disgusting."

"It is." Theodore shuddered. "But Eleanor thinks that because we're dating now she has to worry about her figure. It drives me nuts. I want her to stay exactly the way she is, and I hope its just a phase, but until then – I make vegetarian tofu salad mold."

"Then why everything else?"

"They are all her favorite foods. I'm hoping it'll tempt her out of this diet mode."

"With you and Eleanor, every food is one of your favorite foods." Alvin chuckled at the thought of Eleanor on a diet. She was a little plump, as was his brother, but neither one of them really needed to lose weight – health wise. But girls got things into their heads sometimes. Brittany was always –no. Not thinking about Brittany.

"I guess so." Theodore agreed. "Alvin, would you mind taking me to the grocery store, too? I need to pick up a few things."

"Sure, no problem." Alvin agreed, trying once again to put Brittany out of his mind.

"I'm staying home, though." Simon told them as they approached their house. "I promised Jeannette I'd call her and tell her how the test went. The Chippettes have theirs next week, you know, and we have a wager on who will score the highest on their written."

"But you aced it."

"I know." Simon grinned. "That's why I can't wait to call her."

Alvin eyed the cherry red Miata in their driveway as they walked Simon as far as the front walk. "Okay, then." He had just bought it two weeks ago with money from their latest tour. He finally would be able to drive it! It had taken some fast-talking on his part for Dave to agree on the purchase before he even got his license, but Alvin was used to getting his way and Dave gave in to the inevitable. Now, he could officially drive it.

Life was sweet. "Let's go!"

OooooOooooO

Alvin opted to wait outside while Theodore went to retrieve the few items he needed to round out his picnic. He flipped through the radio stations idly as he was waiting. Stopping on one as he heard his own voice, he grinned.

"Hey, I sound good." Alvin said out loud to nobody. Then he felt his smile fade as he heard Brittany's voice begin to harmonize with his. Oh, no, he had forgotten that this had been their duet.

"That was _Alvin and the Chipmunks_ newest smash hit, _Together Forever._" The radio announcer said. "It was co-written with the members of _Brittany and the Chippettes_ – but it sounds like _Together Forever_ may have been released prematurely. Rumor has it that the two lead singers, Alvin and Brittany, have had an on-again off-again romance that is the constant angst-of-the-moment for thousands of teens. Well, kids, rumor is that they're both available – the two split shortly after their last tour. Brittany Miller-"

Alvin spun the dial on the radio so hard to 'off' that it spun off in his had. "Oh, great." He said sarcastically – again to nobody – as he looked at the little knob of plastic in his hand. "She's not even here and she's ruining my life."

Suddenly he caught sight of a young chipmunk teenager getting onto the back of a motorcycle, hair swinging familiarly. She kissed the cheek of another Chipmunk that was clad in a black leather jacket and who placed a hot-pink helmet over the girl's head. Maybe it was just because he had been thinking about her, but the girl looked like...Brittany.

It _was_ her! Alvin got a good look at her face as the motorcycle roared past him, Brittany not even glancing in his direction.

Alvin revved the engine, all thoughts of why he was waiting here fleeing his mind as he peeled out of the parking lot after the two chipmunks on the motorcycle.

Just _what_ did Brittany think she was doing with that creep?

And who was he, anyways?"

OooooOooooO

"Alvin? Alvin!" Theodore watched in astonishment as saw his brother's car tear out of the supermarket parking lot with a vengeance. Where on earth did he think he was going?

He put his groceries on the ground carefully and stared off into the direction that Alvin had disappeared into, and sighed. Alvin would come back. He knew how much Theodore had been looking forward to tonight. His brother wouldn't let him down.

Forty-five minutes later he had come to a different conclusion. Typical Alvin. Thinking about only himself, as usual. Theodore picked up his groceries roughly. He was going to have to walk home – he didn't want to be late to pick up Eleanor.

Maybe Simon would give him a ride.

His anger grew with every step he took. Alvin knew how important this night was to him...why on Earth would he have just left him there? He was so selfish!

Theodore knew he was working himself up, but it was hard not to, even if it was out of character for him to get so angry. Mentally he tried to figure out how in the world he was going to finish his cooking, shower, and finish getting everything ready in – he juggled the groceries a bit to look at his watch – two hours!

He was so surprised that he dropped the entire bag of groceries onto the concrete of the road below him. "Oh, no!" He cried in despair, seeing his apples rolling off across the pavement. He rushed to gather them up, oblivious to his surroundings in his rush to save what was left of his date with Eleanor.

Theodore was going to _kill_ Alvin for this. His brother was one dead chipmunk. Eleanor's picnic was ruined because of his selfish, egotistical, self-centered, _dead_ brother. Just because _he_ didn't have a girlfriend didn't mean-

A car horn screamed at him as he stood with the last apple in hand, lights blinding him and freezing him in his tracks. _Oh, no,_ was all he had time to think before the car struck, hurling him through the air.

Then blackness.

OooooOooooO

"Who _is_ he?" Alvin muttered under his breath as he crouched behind a bush, watching Brittany and this new chipmunk through slitted eyes. They were talking to each other softly, every so often their conversation being punctuated by Brittany's charming little laugh. He had to get closer – he had to hear what they were saying. He had been following them now for just about an hour, maybe a little more, but this had been the best chance yet to get close enough to actually hear much.

He creeped along the side of the Chippettes' house to stand closer to the porch, where Brittany and this new boy looked for all the world as if they were about to share a goodnight kiss.

"Oh no, you don't!" Alvin whispered under his breath angrily, his hands balling into fists.

"I'm sorry I have to leave so early." The strange chipmunk said, stroking Brittany's cheek lightly. "But I have to work – I promised my dad."

"That's okay." Alvin gritted his teeth as Brittany smiled her winning smile, the one she usually reserved for him. Oh, no. That was _his_ smile! "I had a wonderful time tonight, Gavin."

They bent towards each other, and Alvin growled almost imperceptibly. He had to stop her! This...Gavin, was it? Gavin wasn't fit to kiss her feet, much less her adorable lips! He had to-

_Brrrrrrrinngggg._

He had to answer his cell phone.

"Is someone there?" He heard Brittany ask as he fumbled for his phone. She poked her head out over the railing and fury filled her face when she saw him. "Alvin! What are you doing here?"

"I, uh, I'm –" He stammered.

"You were spying on me!" Brittany accused, her hands planted on her hips and her eyes flashing. "How dare you?"   
"I, um, well ..." He held up his cell phone. "I have to take this call."

"Who is it, Brittany?" Alvin heard Gavin say as he flipped open the phone. He didn't recognize the number.

"Hello?"

"Don't you dare talk at that while I'm speaking with you!" Brittany demanded.

"Shh!" Alvin said. Simon was on the line, crying so hard that for a minute Alvin couldn't understand him. "Something's wrong."

Brittany glared at him, but complied.

"Calm down, Simon. I can't understand you."

It took Simon a few moments to do so. "Theodore was hit by a car, Alvin." He finally managed, and suddenly Alvin felt a stone the size of the Titanic sink in his chest. "They don't know if he's going to make it."

"What?!" Alvin couldn't believe his ears.

"They already have him in surgery, Alvin. From what I've been hearing, you better hurry. I don't think..." Simon's voice broke again. "I don't think he's going to be with us much longer."

Alvin let the phone slip through his fingers. Theodore! He had forgotten all about him in his jealous chase after Brittany. Oh, god.

What had he done?

End of Chapter 1

Reviews greatly appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Dave was sitting with Simon, his face grave as he attempted to comfort the teenage chipmunk when Alvin burst into the ER's waiting room. It had been a miracle that he hadn't been in an accident himself with how fast his little Miata had speeded to the hospital.

"Where is he?" He shouted, skidding to a stop in front of his family. "What's going on?"   
"Theodore's still in surgery, Alvin." Dave said quietly. "We don't know anything yet."

"Well, where's the doctor?" Alvin looked around wildly, his eyes searching for anyone in a white coat who might be a physician. Suddenly Dave was there, taking his hand and leading him gently down to a chair. "I need to talk to the doctor. "Alvin repeated, dazed.

"You need to sit, Alvin." Dave told him gently. "The doctor will be here as soon as he can."

The tears finally started. "They've got good doctors here, don't they? I mean, they won't let anything happen to Theodore, would they?"

"They have excellent doctors, Alvin. We just have to be patient."

Alvin slumped in his seat, suddenly exhausted. "What happened?"

"Theodore was walking back from the grocery store and was hit by a drunk driver. They already have him in custody. I don't know too much more about him." Dave ran his fingers through his hair. It was already sticking up in seventeen different directions due to that nervous habit. "A lady driving past saw the whole thing and called the police on her cell. We really haven't been told anything about Theodore's condition except its critical."

"This can't be happening." Simon kept saying over and over. Dave rested a comforting hand on his adopted son.

Alvin couldn't help but feel the same way. It wasn't real, it must be a nightmare. Soon he would wake up screaming in his bed the way he used to when he was a boy obsessed with monster movies, and Simon would say "Alvin!" in that irritated way he had, and Theodore would rub his eyes and ask him if he was all right, safe in the bed beside him. That's what had to happen, because this...this... he didn't think he could live with this.

Hours passed, and time both seemed to race and to stand still for Alvin. He couldn't imagine what was taking so long. Of course, Theodore couldn't be hurt as badly as all that.

"Mr. Seville?"   
Dave stood rapidly, facing the doctor with worry on his face. "Yes, I'm David Seville. These are two of my boys, Theodore's brothers. How is he? Is he going to be okay?"

_Yes, he's going to be fine. It looked a lot worse than it was. You can see him if you want. _Those were the words Alvin wanted desperately to hear. But it wasn't the words he heard.

"I'm Dr. Rosewood. Would you come with me?"   
"Is he all right?" Alvin demanded.

The doctor was a capable middle-aged woman who right now looked very tired. "Please, just come with me. It would be better to do this outside of the waiting room."

"Why?" Alvin said, a frantic pounding beginning in his chest. "He's going to be fine, right?"

"Alvin – "Dave began.

"No, Dave! Why do we have to go into private? She can tell us he's fine right here." He pulled ineffectually against Dave as the older man lead him firmly into the private waiting room. The door shut with a soft click, but to Alvin it might have well been the _boom!_ of a mausoleum door. "I don't want to be in private."

"Mr. Seville, are you sure your son should be here right now?" The doctor asked wearily.

"Alvin, please, sit down, or they are going to make you leave." Those words penetrated the panicked fog that threatened his brain. He looked at Dave, blinking, and sat down hurriedly.

"No, no, I need to be here."   
"Go on, Doctor."

The doctor opened up a file folder on the table in front of her. Inside were several x-rays, and she clipped them on the x-ray viewer quickly. Alvin gasped, staring at the shattered bones that even his woefully untrained eyes could tell were severe. Beside him, Simon began to sob. That was even worse – Simon was already taking pre-med classes over at the community college.

"I'm afraid the prognosis is not good. As you can see here...here..."she pointed to several places along the spine, "and here, that Theodore's spinal column was shattered in three places. Blood loss was severe, but fortunately he is not an uncommon type, so we have been able to administer transfusions. Internal injuries were also extreme. He continuing to bleed extensively internally, complicating the already heavy blood loss. We _are_ having trouble controlling that."

She clipped another x-ray up on the light, and Alvin groaned in an almost physical pain. "His skull was also compromised in several places. Severe lacerations to the face and neck is what caused most of the blood loss. The most distressing features of the head injuries are, however, the swelling of the tissues in his brain. The accident didn't damage the brain tissue itself, but the swelling can have catastrophic effects."

Catastrophic effects? He couldn't be hearing this! Dimly, he became aware that from almost the beginning of the doctor's speech, he had been rocking back and forth and chanting , "No, no, no, no..." At the doctor's pause and glance in his direction, he forced himself with some difficulty to silence.

"On a lesser degree-"lesser degree? –"both legs and his right arm are broken in multiple places. He received a total of 224 stitches for the injuries, and another 56 due to the surgeries. As I said, he continues to bleed internally and unfortunately there is little more to do on that front than wait. He is on a respirator and due to the internal injuries of the digestive area, cannot be fed through a nasal tube. If necessary, we will install a jejunostomy tube. This will bypass the damaged areas and allow us to feed him directly into the lower intestine."

"If necessary?" Dave asked.

She sighed heavily. "Your son has been in a very critical accident, Mr. Seville. At this time, we are estimating a 2 percent chance of survival."

Simon lost what little control he had and began to weep in earnest.

"Two percent?" Dave's voice was strengthless. "That's all?"   
Dr. Rosewood nodded. "The compounded injuries make survival very unlikely, Mr. Seville. I'm sorry." She paused. "I would recommend that you say your goodbyes."

"Are there any other options?" Dave had tears in his voice. Alvin could barely see him, and then realized that his eyes were awash with tears.

"We can continue to keep him on the machines," She offered without much hope in her voice. "If he survives the next 48 hours, the chances increase greatly that he could wake up." She hesitated. "But his life would be forever altered."

"How so?" Dave asked.

"The nerves in his spine have been destroyed. He would be in a wheelchair with complete paralization from the waist down. His right arm would be impaired, although with dedication and good physical therapy he might have it return to almost normal function. Feeding through the jejunostomy tube would be indefinite, perhaps permanent. He would have to have round-the-clock incontinent cares due to his inability to know when he would need to relieve himself. And, "She breathed deep. "One more thing that you have to consider."

"One more thing?" Alvin couldn't believe that there could be anything worse than the future she had just described for his baby brother. "What's the one more thing?"

"The swelling in his brain." She told him. "It is impossible to tell how extensive the damage is. But this is almost certain – there would be brain damage of some sort."

"It could be mild, perhaps vision or hearing problems. Or, "She said, closing the file. "It could be extensive. Complete reversion to a much lower functional age...one to three month functional age, in this case. Unfortunately, there is no way to know unless he wakes up. The brain is a delicate instrument. It is difficult to know for sure."

She stood. "If you decide, we can turn off the machines. The likelihood is that Theodore would pass away before midnight. Otherwise, we can try and keep him alive artificially until he wakes up – but that is not a strong possibility. I'm sorry, Mr. Seville." She paused as she started out the door. "You have some hard choices to make."

The silence was deafening as the door shut behind her. Simon broke the oppressive silence with a sob, and suddenly was in Dave's arms. Dave was trying to be strong for his eldest son, but Alvin could tell that he was close to a breakdown himself.

"What are we going to do, guys?" Dave asked, looking at them with tear-reddened eyes.

"I don't know, Dave." Simon hiccupped. "What kind of life was she describing for him?"

"I know, but there is a chance his mind could be fine..."Dave himself seemed to know he was grasping at straws. "And Theodore had such a love for life..."

Alvin wished he could cry. He felt numb. _My fault._ That mantra kept running over and over in his head. _My fault._ Theodore wasn't dying. It couldn't be possible.

Of the three of them, Alvin had been confident to know that he had been the vitality of the trio...Simon the intelligence...but Theodore had been the heart.

How did you live without the heart that sustains you?

"We need to see him." Alvin said suddenly, almost unaware that he was going to speak. "I think we need to see him before we make any decisions."

Dave looked at him almost gratefully. "You're right, Alvin. We do need to see him." He stood. "I'll go ask the doctor."

Alvin and Simon waited quietly while Dave went to speak with Dr. Rosewood. "Alvin." Simon asked after a moment.

"Yes, Simon?"

Simon looked at him oddly. "Why was Theodore _walking_ home from the grocery store? I thought you were going to give him a ride."

Alvin flinched under his brother's gaze. "I-"

"Guys?" Dave poked his head around the door. "We can see him now."

Alvin leapt up. Simon seemed to have forgotten his question, but Alvin hadn't. _My fault._

They went to go and see their baby brother – possibly, for the last time.

End of Chapter 2

I know, I know, angsty...like I said, when an idea grabs a hold of you...

Please review.


	3. Chapter 3

As I have stated before, I really don't know what possessed me to write this. So far, though, people seem to like it and I seem to be writing in a furor so it will continue.

Reviews are really appreciated. I often read stories based on how good their reviews are so appreciate any and all feedback.

**Chapter 3**

The first thing that Alvin was aware of when they entered the room was that Theodore was beeping.

It seemed to be such an absurd observation, but the beeping was far more ominous than he could have believed. A monitor attached to his face was beeping. Another one attached to his chest was beeping. A third, that was apparently monitoring a morphine drip, was beeping. Beep. Beep. Beep.

The incessant beeping was so strong that it took Simon's gasp of fear for Alvin to really realize how badly Theodore really looked. A respirator mask rest over his face, penetrating his lungs, and the strange rhythm with which it counted Theodore's breaths for him made the fur on the back of Alvin's neck crawl. Multiple IV's lay penetrating his veins, one filled with a dark red liquid that could only be blood. Strange braces supported all of his limbs but his left arm, and bandages were everywhere. His _face, _though-

They had had to shave most of his fur off to accommodate the stitching. He looked strangely naked. Sutures that weirdly reminded Alvin of Brittany's inept repair sewing jobs snaked across the denuded skin. His face was swollen, and bruised in bizarre places due to the internal bleeding. Nowhere was any sign of the chipmunk who had only this morning been rhapsodizing over his newly acquired girlfriend.

"I'll leave you alone with him." He heard Dr. Rosewood say, for the first time realizing she was there. He was only dimly aware of her leaving.

"Theodore," He heard Simon say softly. "Oh, my god...Theodore..." Simon was holding Theodore's only good hand, and Alvin felt a brief flash of jealousy that his elder brother had already claimed that faint attachment to Theodore. Immediately he was horrified at his envy. Was he really so selfish? Instead of reaching out to his brother, he backed away.

He had done this. He was responsible for Theodore's death.

He didn't have the right to comfort his brother.

No one spoke for some time - Alvin didn't know how long. They remained, almost motionless, Dave standing near the respirator, occasionally stroking Theodore's cheek, Simon holding his baby brother's hand as if clinging to a life preserver, and himself pressed up against a wall, afraid to come to close to his dying younger sibling.

Finally, Dr. Rosewood reentered. "Have you made a decision?" She asked, her voice soft.

"No." Dave replied immediately. "May we have a few more minutes?"

"Of course." She left quickly.

Dave looked at them solemnly. "All right. Simon. Alvin." He glanced at Theodore, obviously wanting to include him. "We need to make this choice. As a family."

Simon looked at him helplessly. "I don't know what to tell you, Dave." He tightened his grip perceptibly on Theodore's hand. "I don't want to condemn Theodore...but this?"

"I know, Simon." Dave was grim.

_Theodore is the heart._ Alvin raised his hands helplessly. "I love him, Dave. Simon. I don't want him to die."

"I don't either, Alvin." Dave looked down at the son he had adopted so many years ago, and Alvin suddenly felt shame at all he had done that had hurt Dave over the years, unintentionally of course, but had hurt him all the same. It should be him on this hospital bed.

"But what we have to think of is this...would _Theodore_ want us to risk it?"

No one said anything for a moment.

"Theodore was the eternal optimist." Simon finally said, breaking the silence. "He always looked for the good in things. The glass was always half-full."

"He loved unconditionally," Dave said. "No matter what life threw at him, he would care about your well-being and try to make your life a better one."

"He never gave up on anyone." Alvin said, his voice dead. "No matter how many times someone would fail him, would...would betray him, he would always love them."

"Well, boys," Dave took a deep breath. "What is it, then, do you think Theodore would want us to do?"

OoooOoooO

Dr. Rosewood wasn't all that surprised that they had chosen to keep Theodore on life support. She had been to more of what they had dubbed "terminal meetings" than almost any other staff in the hospital, and knew that when the patient was young, the family would grasp at any straw in a storm. Still, she wished that they had not done so in this case. To keep the young chipmunk alive was, in her opinion, cruel.

Not that she could tell the family that.

She rubbed her eyes as she entered the ICU for the last time that night, grateful that after her last rounds with Theodore she could leave for home at last. She halted when she heard the tear-filled voice that spoke to the unconscious chipmunk.

"I'm so sorry, Theodore." The voice of the middle child -Alvin, his name was - said. "I didn't mean for this to happen. I would give anything to switch places with you. If I hadn't been so selfish, this might never have happened. But no. I never even thought about what might happen to you. I just went ahead like I always do, thinking of only myself, never once thinking of anyone else." There was a muffled sob.

"Its my fault, I know. I understand that you'll never, ever forgive me. But I don't care if only you'll wake up."

"I'll take care of you, I promise. No matter what happens. You're my baby brother!" Dr. Rosewood felt an uncommon urge to go forward and take the grieving boy into her arms. Only her professionalism prevented her from doing that. It didn't prevent her from staying, however.

"I quit, Theodore. I quit music, I quit acting, I quit being me. I promise, I will be a better person. I will be a person that you can be proud of. That you can _depend_ on." There was a pause. "I promise."

"Something wrong, Doctor?" David Seville asked from behind her, Simon with him, and she jumped.

"No, just checking on Theodore, Mr. Seville, before I leave." She assured him, glancing back at the draped room. "I'm leaving now, going home. Dr. Danning will be taking over tonight."

"Oh, ok." The dark-haired man said. "Thank you, for all you've done for Theodore, Doctor."

"You're welcome." She said with a slight nod.

She wished she didn't think that his middle son needed, in his own way, as much help as Theodore did.

The Sevilles didn't need any other worries right now.

OoooOoooO

Simon sat, leaning against the hospital bed half asleep. He was still holding Theodore's hand. Alvin had moved aside from where he had been doing the same, almost the instant Simon had returned last night.. Simon didn't question Alvin's gesture, although it did surprise him. He found, himself, that he couldn't bear to let Theodore's hand go. He could still feel warmth in it, and he clung to that, knowing that that warmth meant that Theodore was still here with them. As long as he could feel that life in his brother, hope stayed with him.

"Alvin, please, you need to go and eat something." Dave told the red-clad chipmunk earnestly. "Its been over a day since you've eaten."

"Not hungry." Alvin said. He had spent all of the last twenty-four hours in this room, sitting in a chair across from this bed. Nearly all of them had been spent in silence as well, or otherwise he had replied to questions with simple one or two word answers. Simon was starting to worry about him, now, too. The few times Alvin had met his eyes his gaze was almost vacant.

"I know. Neither am I. But we have to eat." Dave glanced over at Simon imploringly. "Simon, please. Take Alvin to the cafeteria. He at least needs to get some water, or he's going to start getting dehydrated."

"Not thirsty."

The zombie-like attitude of Alvin frightened him, and with one last look at Theodore's face, he reluctantly released his hand and stood. His own wave of dizziness hit him. He had been sitting here for a _long_ time.

"Come on, Alvin, lets get a Coke or something." He said, reaching out to grab Alvin's hand and help him out of his chair. Alvin followed obediently. He didn't say anything else, and that worried Simon. He was afraid Alvin was going into shock. It had been known to happen, and the blank stares and limited verbosity he was showing made Simon think that if Alvin didn't seem to shake himself a little more into the world soon, he would find a doctor to look after this brother as well.

Not that he had been much more communicative in the last day. But he had at least tried to eat earlier and had left the room occasionally. Alvin seemed to be incapable of doing so independently. "Alvin, what do you want? A Coke? Some water?" Simon pushed through the door to the cafeteria. At this hour it was nearly deserted. "I think they have some sandwiches over here."

"My fault."

"What?" Simon turned around to see Alvin leaning in the doorway. The lack of life in his eyes as he met Simon's frightened him. "What?"

"I said, it's my fault."

"No, I heard you..." Simon moved towards his brother to comfort him, but Alvin moved away angrily. "Alvin, its not anybody's fault. These things happen."

"Things happen. But this thing happened because of me."

"That's impossible, Alvin."

"Really? Did the impossible ever stop us before?"

A terrible suspicion began to form in Simon's mind. "Alvin, what did you do?"

"I didn't mean for anything to happen." Alvin's face was tortured. "I just didn't think. I didn't think about him at all, like I never do. How could I have known...? But I left him. I left him, and now he's going to die."

"He's not going to die!" Simon protested roughly. "What do you mean, you left him?"  
"At the supermarket...I saw Brittany with another guy, and I couldn't...I mean I just wanted to find out...and I left him. I forgot all about him."

"You left him there...just left him?" Simon couldn't control the fury that he suddenly felt. He found himself walking forward, his hands clenched into fists. "Its over a five-mile walk back home, Alvin! How could you leave him there? Didn't you think about the fact that he had no way home? That you had made him a _promise_? How could you be so irresponsible?"

Even though Simon was towering over him now, fist raised to strike, Alvin merely turned his head as if ready to receive the blow. "I didn't think, Simon."

Simon realized what he was about to do, and he had to force himself to lower his fists. He couldn't force his anger to abate, however. "That's the problem, Alvin. That's always been the problem. You don't _think._ Whatever is going around you, whoever it hurts, you never think about it until its too late. Well, its too late now, Alvin! Even if Theodore lives, he'll never walk again, and you can go gallivanting about the world as if nothing ever happened. Nothing _ever_ happens to you. You're the golden child, the focus of everyone's attention – especially yours." Somewhere inside him, he knew that he should try to stem the flow of fury that had burst within, but he couldn't. He clenched his hands together to keep from raising them again into fists. "Well, you have my attention now, Alvin! Are you happy?"

"Simon, please," Alvin's voice broke. "I'm sorry!"

"Keep your sorries, Alvin. I have too many of them – far, far too many." Simon whirled on his heel, a sudden need to leave becoming overpowering. A lump the size of a boulder lodged in his throat as he flashed back to Theodore on the lawn, thanking Alvin for his offer to help him out after failing his driving test, a wide smile on his innocent face. A sob escaped him, and he paused at the door.

"And so does Theodore."

End of Chapter 3


	4. Chapter 4

Reviews are really appreciated. I often read stories based on how good their reviews are so appreciate any and all feedback. Previous reviewers are encouraged to review again and let me know how they think the story is progressing.

Zen Hugs!

Pyxelle

**Chapter 4**

Simon was nearly back to the ICU when he realized that Alvin hadn't followed him. He turned, eyes searching down the clinically white hallway, but didn't see his brother anywhere. Only nurses, doctors, and antiseptic white walls.

Maybe it was better he wasn't here right now. Simon still felt a lingering anger, but already his short walk was starting to help it dissipate. Alvin had only been being Alvin. Rude, yes, and selfish – but Alvin would have _never_ hurt his little brother intentionally. The driver who had gotten behind the wheel of that car under the influence had done that. Fatigue, worry and shock had made Simon react the way that he had, and he was already starting to feel uneasy stirrings of worry about how his brother was going to react to what he had said.

He had been cruel, he knew. Also, honest. But...it still wasn't fair of him to attack Alvin like he had. Alvin was obviously doing a good enough job of that for the both of them. He hadn't meant to hurt Theodore by leaving him behind. It had been one of those vintage Alvin moments when his mind would blank out all distractions from his current escapade, and he would act – just as he said – totally without thinking. Alvin never meant to hurt anyone else. It was just as if he were surrounded by some sort of mystical force field that protected him from any harm that would come from his harebrained ideas. Unfortunately, the force field didn't seem to extend to anyone else.

Simon sighed deeply, turning around and going back the way he had come. He had to make things right with Alvin. Theodore needed them to be strong for him right now. They had always been at their best when it had been the three of them, and now that Theodore was fighting for his life, they needed that strength more than ever before.

He searched the hospital for almost an hour before he realized Alvin must have left the building after their fight. Maybe he needed to be alone. Simon debated for a moment, glancing up towards the flickering _Intensive Care Unit_ sign, then the exit.

It was only a moment before he started back up towards the ICU. Alvin would come back, and he could fix things with his younger brother then. They, at least, had time.

Right now, Theodore needed him.

OoooOoooO

Alvin ran blindly out of the hospital and into the street. A car swerved, horns blaring, as it narrowly avoided him in his furious race away from the hospital. He barely noticed. There was no thought in his mind, not even as to where he was headed. The chipmunk just ran, heedless of the rain that had started to fall, fleeing the words that his surviving brother had thrown at him.

He didn't know where he was going until he saw his house coming up on him quickly, and he skidded to a sudden stop. The hospital was five miles away. Had he really run all that far?

The water that streamed down his soaked body attested that he had. He finished the rest of the walk slowly, figuring he couldn't get much wetter, and entered his house in a mechanical manner. He glanced around, memories flooding him with their bitter sweetness, and climbed the stairs to his room with his eyes almost closed.

OoooOoooO

"_Alvin? Can I sleep with you, tonight?"_

_Alvin groaned. "Theodore! No, not again!" He rolled over and clutched his blanket protectively, glaring at the little chipmunk in the green pajamas. "This is three nights in a row, and you _always_ steal the covers."_

_"Oh," Theodore said, face falling. "Then maybe Simon-"_

_"Oh, no. I warned you about watching that zombie movie with Alvin, Theodore." Simon shook his head from his bed, squinting at his little brother. "Next time you should listen to me."_

_"Simon..." Theodore said plaintively. The older chipmunk shook his head again and dove under the covers. _

"_Alvin, please?"_

_Alvin looked at the forlorn look in his baby brother's eyes and against his will felt himself relent. "All right, all right!" He said, pulling the covers aside just enough to let Theodore, his pillow, his bunny rabbit, and his blankie into the bed – which left very little room for him. "But tonight is the last night, you understand? No more!"_

_"Okay, Alvin." Theodore looked at him, eyes sleepy already, as if he hadn't heard this threat for the last two days. "Thanks."_

_"You're welcome, Theodore." Theodore snuggled against him, and Alvin couldn't help but smile._

_"Oh, Alvin?"_

_"Yes, Theodore?"_

_"I love you."_

_Alvin gave his little brother a hug. "I love you too."_

OoooOoooO

"I love you too." Alvin whispered into the empty house. His eyes opened, staring into the room where he and his brothers had grown up. It didn't seem welcoming anymore. Instead it seemed like a dim memory of his faults, a physical catalogue of how he had failed his family. He couldn't bring himself to even look at Theodore's side of the room as he went over to his closet and roughly pulled a suitcase out of it. There was nothing for him there. Not anymore.

He only threw a few outfits into the suitcase and his bankbook. Luckily, Dave had allowed the Chipmunks each to get their own checking account when they had turned sixteen, and although he had quite brilliantly handled the rest of their finances, he had allowed each brother a substantial allowance from each record and tour they made. Alvin's account was undoubtedly less full than his brothers, on account of the Miata, but he still had a decent amount in there. At least enough to get him through the next couple months. He just had to get it out of the banks before Dave realized what he was doing – but that was easily done. ATM machines abounded in Hollywood. He could clean out the remains of his account before dawn was even there.

Sometimes others would be surprised at the modest life he and his famous brothers led, but Dave had never felt the need for any home but this, and honestly, neither had him or his brothers. This had _always_ been home.

But it wasn't anymore, not for him.

As he ran down the stairs, not even bothering to change his soaked outfit, he briefly remembered the promise he had made to his brother only a day ago, and halted at the door. Hesitation. Was he going to abandon Theodore again?

Alvin steeled himself. Simon had been right. Theodore didn't need a brother like him. All he had brought him was pain. Theodore would die in peace – without Alvin.

He grabbed the handle of the suitcase again firmly, and threw open the door.

OoooOoooO

Brittany stared out the window, watching the street shine silver below her under the magic of the rainfall. Normally, she would have loved the beauty of this night. Tonight, though, its loveliness escaped her, and she simply stared down the empty street.

Behind her, Eleanor whimpered in her sleep. For a moment, Brittany considered checking on her, and then decided against it. This was the first time Eleanor had slept from the moment they had heard the news of Theodore's accident. She wasn't going to risk her little sister's wakening.

She wished she could sleep as well, but she had nightmares plaguing her from the moment her eyes had closed. What if it had been Alvin? True, they were no longer _officially_ together, but she didn't think either of them could deny the fact that they loved each other. It was just so hard, them both being the way they were – overconfident, stubborn, brilliant, each in their own right – of course the sparks would fly, both romantic and furious. But since the news, she had realized that those sparks were with which both Alvin and Brittany would shine. Together.

Gavin had been understandably upset when she had phoned him and told him she couldn't see him anymore. It had only been three dates, anyways. It wasn't like she had been serious about him. In fact, part of the reason – a large part – that she had been attracted to him was that he reminded her of Alvin. Even his name sounded similar. She hoped Alvin would understand. Gavin had never been important to her, not like Alvin was. Maybe it would make him feel better, if only a little bit.

Brittany straightened as she saw a slight form running along the rain-slicked road under her window. A familiar red cap blew back from the figure's head, unheeded.

"Alvin?" She knew it had been him. Brittany glanced around the room furtively, afraid she had wakened one of her sisters. Both of them slept on.

Eleanor had tears on her cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Eleanor." She whispered before slipping out of the room.

Brittany didn't even bother with putting real clothing on, figuring that her _somewhat_ demure nightgown and raincoat would suffice. A pair of sandals completed the ridiculous outfit, and she paused briefly at the mirror as she caught a glimpse of herself before running out the door.

Her hair was in complete disarray. Her pajamas were wrinkled from tossing and turning during her nightmares, and a smudge of mascara that hadn't been entirely washed off during her evening routine last night made her look a bit more like a raccoon than a chipmunk. To top it all off, the sandals she had thrown on weren't hers. They were Jeannette's.

Jeannette wore shoes two sizes larger than hers.

"Maybe some more mascara?" She mused for about a third of a second before dismissing it. What was she thinking? She needed to be there for Alvin!

Brittany was out the door in a shot, going as fast as her little legs and oversized shoes would allow. Alvin lived only one block over, but she swore she could feel every drop of rain that fell on that block before she reached him. She was glad of the raincoat as she approached his door, but definitely regretted the sandals. Oh, well. Next time she went out to declare her love for a grieving chipmunk, she would wear tennis.

"Oh!" She said, as her fist struck Alvin. She had been meaning to bang on the door, but just as she had brought her hands down he had opened it and started out. "Alvin?"

"Brittany?" Alvin took her in, dropping something heavily beside him. His face was incredulous. "What are doing here?"

"I needed to talk to you." She said, acutely aware that she was dripping all over his foyer.

"At three in the morning?" He asked, again his eyes traveling over her in amazement. "And in a...a...what is that, anyways? A bag lady costume?"

"No, you twi-"she stopped herself in the middle of the insult. Why did they always do this to each other? "I needed to tell you about Gavin."

"Great." He rolled his eyes. "That's all I need. A talk about lover boy."

"He's not-okay, Alvin, I need your help on this. Can we please have a conversation with no attacking for a change?"

Alvin looked surprised, and then his expression changed to one almost of illness. "I'm sorry, Brittany. I really am."

Brittany blinked, not used to this sudden apologizing. "Er, its fine, Alvin. You've been through a lot lately. I understand."

"No, really, that wasn't fair." He grinned sickly. "I'm glad you found someone, Brittany. You deserve happiness."

"Okay, yeah." She said slowly, looking at him with some trepidation. This was not the Alvin she knew. But considering the events of the last few days, perhaps that wasn't surprising. "I just needed to let you know...I broke up with Gavin tonight."

He looked startled. "You did?"

"Yeah." Brittany rushed on, not understanding the look in his eyes. "It wasn't serious, Alvin, really. Just three dates. I really barely knew him – in fact, I only agreed to go out with him because he reminded me so much of you. It didn't mean anything. But that's not important, really, I just-"she suddenly realized that the sick look on his face had become frozen. "Alvin? I'm sorry I babbled on like that. Are you..." she realized how ridiculous the question really was, but asked it anyways. "okay?"

"Three dates?" He asked in amazement. "That's it?"

Of course! He wanted to be sure that Gavin had really meant that little to her. "Only three dates, Alvin." She halted, and then added, almost as an afterthought, "and I think I would've broken up with him soon anyways. He was a little too...goody-goody for my taste, anyways. Even with the motorcycle."

Alvin didn't say anything to that. "Three dates." He repeated again. "Didn't mean anything."

"Alvin?"   
He picked up the thing he had dropped earlier. It was a suitcase emblazoned with the initials AS. "Alvin? Where are you going?"

"Away." He said, pushing past her, and under his breath she could hear him whispering, "didn't mean anything."

"Away? How far away?" She asked, running after him, as oblivious to the pouring rain as he was.

"I don't know, Brittany!" Alvin shook her off his arm, and Brittany stumbled. She looked up at him in wonderment and no little fear. Something was so wrong here...she wasn't afraid for herself, but Alvin...

"Alvin, what is going on?"

"Call Gavin back, Brittany. He seemed like a nice guy. You deserve a nice guy." Alvin strode off into the night, leaving Brittany gazing at him in utter confusion. Where was he going?

"Alvin, wait!" She shouted, running a few steps towards him. He turned, and the complete look of defeat in his eyes stopped her utterly. She gathered her courage.

"I love you!"   
Alvin closed his eyes as if in pain. She waited breathlessly.

"I love you too."

And then he walked off into the waiting darkness.

End of Chapter 4

Okay. I know. More angst. But this story is taking me along with it. I hope that everyone is at least, er, enjoying the story. Please, please review!

Zen Hugs,

Pyxelle


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 

"Simon." He felt a hand shaking him gently. "Simon, wake up."

"Alvin?" Simon sat up suddenly from where he had been sleeping, his unfocussed eyes trying to look past both the sleepiness and astigmatism in his eyes. "Is that you?"   
"Its Dave, Simon." Dave handed him his glasses, and the world came back into sharp focus – little too sharp. Simon suddenly remembered where he was as he scooted the chair back from Theodore's bed. "Alvin's not back yet, and I'm getting a little worried about him.

Absently, Simon snaked his hand back through the bedrails to grasp Theodore's hand again, which he had released when he had moved. "How long was I asleep?"

"Only about an hour." Dave said apologetically. "I wanted to let you sleep, but Alvin's been gone almost two hours now, he's not answering his cell phone, and no one's answering the phone at the house. I'm getting a little worried."

Simon felt an uncomfortable guilt rise. "Um, he might be gone a little while, Dave. We, uh, sort of had a spat in the cafeteria."

"A spat?" Dave looked concerned. "About what?"

"Nothing important." Simon didn't want to tell Dave about Alvin's involvement in Theodore's accident. That was for Alvin to talk to Dave about, and honestly, he didn't think he had the stamina right now for that conversation. "We'll work it out, Dave. This just hasn't been easy on any of us. I...I kind of lost my temper with him."

"Oh, Simon." Dave's voice carried a slight note of disappointment. "I wish you wouldn't have done that. I'm worried about Alvin, too. He seems to be in even worse shape than the rest of us."

"I know."

"I guess we can let him blow off some steam for a while, then. If he's not back by dawn, though, we'll have to go out looking for him."

"I don't want to leave Theodore, Dave, "Simon said with worry as he stole a glance at his comatose brother. His appearance hadn't changed. "What if he, well, wakes up?"

"We'll take turns."

Simon nodded reluctantly. "All right, I guess."

Dave glanced at the clock, noting the early time. "I guess I should have let you sleep, after all."

"That's okay, Dave, I-"

A knocking on the door interrupted him. "Mr. Seville? Simon?" A feminine chipmunk voice said. Brittany pulled aside the hospital drapes, peeking in. "Is that you?"

"Brittany!" Simon exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"   
"I came to-"She gasped and froze, seeing Theodore. Her eyes widened, and Simon could see that she was taken aback at the sight of her friend. He wondered if he had had that same disbelieving, horrified stare on his face the night they had first seen him and supposed he had. She seemed transfixed, twisting a red cap in her hands compulsively. "Is that...Theodore?"

"Yes, Brittany," Simon said before taking her firmly by the elbow and trying to lead her to the door. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh..."She started to allow herself to be led, her eyes not able to leave the form of her injured friend, and then seemed to come back to herself a little. "No, Simon! I need to talk to you!"

Simon sighed, releasing her but moving so that he blocked her view. This seemed to help, and Brittany's gaze moved to rest upon his face. Simon could hear Dave coming up behind him. "How did you get in here?"

"I snuck in." She said, not seeming to care that she had done so, waving her hand in the air like it didn't matter, the baseball cap flinging tiny droplets of water at him. "They wouldn't put my call through."

Simon grabbed the cap. Sure enough, it was Alvin's, albeit it a little dirty and very wet. "Brittany? Why do you have Alvin's cap?"   
"That's what I'm trying to tell you!" Brittany snatched the cap back and clutched it to her wet gown. "Alvin's run away!"

"He's _what?" _Dave seemed stunned. "But he wouldn't. Why would he...? And now?"

"I don't know, but he was talking funny before he left. He sounded like he didn't care about anything, and he looked..."Brittany shivered. "He looked like a part of him had died, or something."

Dave glanced at Theodore briefly as he grabbed his coat off the chair and nearly ran to the door. "Simon, stay with Theodore. I've got to go looking for him." And he was gone.

"Why would he run away, Simon? Especially now? I know Alvin. He wouldn't desert Theodore." Now that she had relayed her message, Brittany was inching towards Theodore again. This time Simon let her, because though her eyes were wide and frightened, she seemed to be able to handle it a little better this time. "Oh, Simon, he looks..." she held up her hands in helplessness, unable to find the words. Simon didn't have to hear any.

"Yeah. I know." He said softly, walking with her to Theodore's bedside. "But every minute he lives is one more minute he might wake up."

"Is it true, though, what Jeannette told me?" Brittany whispered aside to him, as if she was afraid that her voice might wake him. Simon wished it would be that easy. "About not being able to walk, or eat, or...you know."

"Medical advances happen every day, Brittany." Simon reminded her. This was the hope he clung to. "Who's to say they won't be able to regenerate nerves in the near future? Look what stem cell research has been able to do. It's possible-"

"Simon," Brittany interrupted him a little guiltily. "Not be offensive, or anything, but I'm not Jeannette. I don't understand a word of what you said."

"Oh. Sorry." He looked at her, and blinked. "It looks like you're not Brittany Miller, either. What on earth are you wearing?"

She glanced down at her wet, dirty clothing and oversized shoes "Oh, yeah." She blushed, pulling her raincoat shut.

"Does Jeannette know you borrowed her sandals?" Simon asked, crooking one eyebrow.

"Oh, she wouldn't care," Brittany said, a little of her signature cockiness showing through. "I just ran out of the house when I saw Alvin out the window, Simon. Believe it or not, I didn't even think about what I was wearing." She smiled a little guiltily. "Well, barely thought about it, at least." Her eyes traveled downward, and the smile faded. She reached for Theodore's hand hesitantly.

"It okay, Brittany. You can hold his hand if you want."

She did, and a little sigh escaped her as she looked up at Simon with worried eyes. "I'm so scared for Alvin, Simon."

"I know, Brittany." Simon said softly, wishing that he had somehow been able to control his temper earlier. He didn't really blame himself, he supposed, because that would be as illogical as blaming Alvin for Theodore's accident. Right. "Me too."

OoooOoooO

Alvin decided to go to the bus station instead of back for his new car. He didn't want it anymore, and he supposed the license number of the Miata would allow the authorities to locate him when Dave called him in missing – which he would, and probably sooner rather than later due to Brittany. He was sure the Chippette would have called Dave immediately. Alvin only hoped that they would assume he had taken the car and wouldn't check the bus stations.

"Where to?"

Alvin hadn't really thought too much about where he was going. He scanned the posted listings above is head quickly. "Uh, Chicago." He finally said. That should be far enough, and besides, the bus left in ten minutes.

"Seventy dollars and twelve cents." The woman behind the counter took his money, and pushed a ticket towards him. "Enjoy your trip."

The rain had stopped on his trip over and though he was still damp, he was no longer soaking wet. He decided to duck into the men's room, anyways. He still needed to clean himself up a little, and besides, he _was_ famous. Best to keep a low profile.

He hoisted his suitcase up onto the sink and pulled a never-used black turtleneck from it. Brittany had bought it for him some time ago, when she started going through her bad-boy phase, but Alvin had felt it didn't suit him had continued to wear his signature red. Now, it seemed appropriate. After a quick wash of his face and combing of his hair, he eyed his reflection critically in the mirror.

He actually didn't look much like himself at all. The black color of the shirt helped a lot, being that red was pretty much the only color he had ever worn, but more than that...his face seemed different. It was almost as if some vital part of him was gone, and what was left in its stead was a completely different person. His features remained the same, and his eyes the same blue, but suddenly he felt sure he wasn't going to have to try very hard to avoid be recognized. A small part of him mourned that but he squashed it down, thinking that it had been that selfish part of him that had caused all of this in the first place. He was not going to allow it to rekindle.

It was a different chipmunk that boarded the bus to Chicago moments later, and if anyone had any clue as to who he was, they didn't let him know. Alvin took a seat to the far back, putting his small suitcase into the rack above and sitting down. He stared out the window, watching the terminal, wondering if Dave was going to suddenly appear to keep him from leaving. The bus jerked as it pulled away, the sigh Alvin released was both relieved and surprised. Dave hadn't come in the nick of time, as he so often had. He was on his own.

"Can I sit here?" A soft voice asked, and he looked up to see a girl about his age standing shyly by him.

"Sure." He said, scooting over a little.

"Thanks." Alvin held his breath, but she didn't seem to recognize him, and he slowly let himself relax.

"No problem." She sat and held out her hand. "I'm Jenny."

"I'm..."He hadn't thought about that. He racked his brain, and then smiled a little. Maybe he couldn't help Theodore, but he could honor him. "I'm Theo. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you." She gave him a strange look. "Do I know you from somewhere? You look a little familiar."

Alvin shrugged. "No, I don't think so."

"No? Oh well. I guess that I must be imagining things." She pulled a book from her purse and began reading.

Alvin watched out the window as the bus sped away from Hollywood, the lights flashing by as he left Alvin Seville farther and farther behind him.

He only wished he knew where he was going to.

End of Chapter 5

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	6. Chapter 6

Reviews are really appreciated. I often read stories based on how good their reviews are so appreciate any and all feedback.

Thanks,

Pyxelle

**Chapter 7**

"'Sauron was overthrown and the One Ring was taken from him. So ended the second age.'" Eleanor closed the book, smiling a little. "Well, that's that, I guess. What do you think we should read next?"

"That's not really the end, Eleanor." Simon said from the doorway, and she turned to him in surprise. "Simon! How long have you been standing there?"

"For about two pages, I think, if I remember right." Simon came and dragged a chair over to her. He sat next to her, smiling a little. "Still refusing to finish the book, aren't you?"

"Simon, I already told you I wasn't going to read the appendices." She said in her lecture tone. "Theodore and I don't have the same obsession to detail that you do." She glanced over to the bed, touching Theodore's face briefly. "He doesn't like to wreck a story by overanalyzing it."

Simon's smile faltered a bit. It bothered him a little, that Eleanor would speak as if her and Theodore still were able to have conversations. They had taken him off the respirator almost a week ago and that had definitely lifted all of their spirits. It was good knowing that he was able to breathe on his own again, but he still hadn't given any sign of returning to consciousness. "Well, you don't know what you're missing."

"Any luck?" Eleanor asked. "You were gone longer than usual."   
"No, unfortunately. Alvin wasn't in L.A. Dave didn't think he'd leave California, but now we're pretty sure that he must have."

"Oh, geez, that's not good." Eleanor said. It had been almost a month since Alvin had disappeared, and amazingly, they hadn't heard a single thing that would lead them to him. That was very un-Alvin like in and of itself. He usually couldn't go anywhere without attracting at least a little attention.

"No, its not." Simon ran his fingers through his hair in worry. "We're running out of ideas of where to look."

"Well, I'm sure you find him." Eleanor smiled a lot more warmly than he had been able to earlier. "It's just a matter of time."

It had amazed all of them when Eleanor's reaction had been the least severe to Theodore's condition. Brittany had even tried to talk her younger sister out of going to the hospital, but Eleanor would have none of it. As soon as they had moved him into the long-term care unit she had demanded that she would be able to visit. No one could have dissuaded her, and Simon made sure that both Dave and he were there for that first visit to support her. It hadn't been necessary, though.

Eleanor had stopped and stared when she had first entered the room, just as Brittany had done, but only for a moment. "Hello, Theodore," she had then said, as if she were greeting him in the hallway at school rather than in a hospital room. "This is the first time they've let me see you, so I'm sorry if you've been worried. I'm doing well, though I miss you a lot. But don't worry, they're letting guests in now, so I'll be able to see you much more."

Simon had watched in awe as she had gone to his usual chair and sat, dropping her backpack to the ground and rummaging around in it. "I know you were in the middle of the latest _Harry Potter _book, Theodore, so I thought I'd come by and we'd read it together. I haven't read it yet, so I hope you don't mind that we're starting over, but I know you liked it so I don't think you do." She put the book on the table next to her and turned to her boyfriend, smiling but her eyes sad. She touched his hand gently. "I miss you so much, Theodore. I'm still waiting for that picnic, so don't think you've gotten out of it. But until you can take me, I guess I'll have to plan our dates for a while." She grabbed the book awkwardly with one hand, using the other to hold Theodore's. "So, expect a lot of Harry Potter nights for the next few weeks. I'll try to think of something interesting to read after that. I'll ask Simon for suggestions – I'm sure he can think of something to entertain us." She had glanced up at Simon, and it was only then that he had seen the tears in her eyes. "It is all right, isn't it? That I come and read with him?"

"Of course, Eleanor." Dave had assured her, and since that moment there hadn't been a day that Eleanor hadn't come and sat with Theodore for hours, reading first _The Order of the Phoenix_ and then, at Simon's suggestion, had started the _Lord of the Rings _trilogy. She had become a fixture at the hospital, and by now Simon had come to expect her presence when he would come here after school. Somehow she always managed to get there first.

Simon shook his head, bringing himself back to the present. "I hope you're right, Eleanor. I'm just starting to lose hope."

"You can't do that, Simon." Eleanor told him firmly. "There's no way-," She gasped suddenly.

"Eleanor?" Simon looked at her quizzically, and she looked back at him, smiling brilliantly. "What is it?"

"Theodore just squeezed my hand!" She said, standing so quickly that Simon had to catch the chair to keep it from overturning. Disbelieving, Simon glanced down, but Eleanor hadn't lied. He could see Theodore's eyelids fluttering.

"Theodore?" He asked, wrapping his fingers around both Eleanor's hand and his brother's. For a moment it seemed as if the fluttering had stopped, and he felt his heart sink, and all of a sudden Theodore's eyes were open, obviously disoriented, but open. Simon watched, barely breathing, as his little brother blinked repeatedly. There didn't seem to be any awareness in his eyes, and he could tell that Theodore, though seemingly awake, wasn't focusing on anything.

"Theodore, we're here. Please, I hope you can hear me. We're here." _Brain damage._ He remembered Dr. Rosewood's words with fear. _Brain damage._ "Theodore, if you understand me, please, look at me. It's Simon."

Theodore's eyes traveled towards him, but there was no recognition in their gaze. "Hi, Theodore," He said, trying not to cry, his eyes full of tears but a smile on his face. "I don't know if you can understand me, but I've missed you."

Theodore's mouth worked aimlessly for a moment, and he squinted at him. "S....ssss...simon?"

"Yes!" Simon actually laughed, his relief was so great. Eleanor did a strange little hop of joy next to him. "Yes, its Simon, I'm here! I'm here, Theodore."

"El'nor?" Theodore's gaze shifted, and his voice was almost too quiet to be heard, his unused vocal cords were so raspy. "El'nor?"

"I'm here, too, Theodore."

"Sorry 'bout...'nic." Theodore said, eyes sliding closed and his face clenching, as if he suddenly realized he was in pain. "Failed 'ving test. Sorry."

"It's all right, Theodore." Eleanor said, tears streaming down her face but the brilliant smile on her face even more radiant. "It's all right."

His eyes slid closed, and then opened again. He still didn't seem to be able to focus, but they traveled about the room momentarily as if searching for something. "Vuh...vuh...vuh?" He said.

"What?" Simon didn't understand him, but the sudden painful agitation in Theodore's whispered voice worried him. "I don't understand you."

"Vuh...vin." Theodore finally managed. "Vin?"

_Brain damage._ "Theodore, I don't...Alvin! You want to know where Alvin is!"

"Vin." The relief was apparent even in Theodore's hushed words. "Want...'vin, too."

Simon glanced at Eleanor briefly. "We'll get him for you, Theodore." Simon said then, determination in his voice. "We will."

OoooOoooO

"_Now boarding Flight 103, Gate 7."_

Alvin double-checked his ticket. No, he was on flight 104. He sighed, settling back into the hard airport waiting chair. Glancing around, he spied a _Time_ magazine on the table across from him and grabbed it. He tried to read, but couldn't concentrate on the words any more than he could five minutes ago. _Time_ quickly joined the pile he had already discarded, and he turned to the television on the wall-mounted stand. _Entertainment Tonight_ was playing, the host telling the few people in the waiting area just why Heather Locklear was suing her pool man. That didn't really interest him, either, and his mind wandered.

He had lasted in Chicago for almost a week before he started to feel that the windy city just wasn't far enough. New York was better, for a while, but it wasn't long before it, too, felt like it was constricting him, tying him down to something that he longed to escape from. So Alvin had, with a little of his signature luck and a lot of his cash, found someone who furnished him with a new set of identification papers. Alvin had tossed the driver's license that had meant so much to him just a month ago into a dumpster, and Theo Miller – a chipmunk who looked a lot like Alvin Seville but who was two years older – was born.

His savings had contained quite a bit more than he had been expecting. Dave must have just made a deposit after Alvin had bought the car. Still, the airplane ticket and the I.D. had nearly cleaned him out, and he knew that pretty soon he was going to have to find work – wherever he ended up.

"_In other news, Theodore Seville, of _Alvin and the Chipmunks_, regained consciousness yesterday afternoon." _The host on the TV said. Alvin jumped from his seat, suddenly alert. What had the man said? _"Theodore was involved in a serious accident with a drunk driver last month. The chipmunk, who had just turned sixteen, wasn't expected to survive. Though still in critical condition, Theodore has been reportedly responsive and doctors say they are doing everything in their power to help him recover. Despite this, the young chipmunk is paralyzed from the waist down. And don't be expecting anything new from the Chipmunks soon, because in addition to this, Alvin, lead singer and brother to Theodore, disappeared shortly after the accident and his whereabouts are currently unknown. Multiple efforts are being made, but a teenage runaway, even a famous teenage runaway, can be very difficult to find. America's favorite teen singing sensation looks like it's gone forever, folks. In an unrelated story-"   
_

Alvin sat back in the chair, stunned. Theodore was still alive? And awake? How was that possible? A wide smile spread on his face, and he laughed out loud. Theodore was alive! Alvin had given up all hope on that two percent chance the doctor had seemed so sure of. He had to get home, had to-

He stopped, realizing he had already started towards the exit. The words the _Entertainment Weekly _host continued to play in his head.

Still critical. Still destined to spend life in a wheelchair.

Still his fault.

"_Flight 104, International flight to London, last boarding call."   
_Last call? He must have missed the announcement during the _Entertainment Weekly_ segment. He wrestled briefly with indecision, the desire to see his brother again strong but the fear of seeing the hatred in his eyes equally as strong. He had no right to ask forgiveness...and he didn't think he could face his family. He would forever be the one they blamed, and no matter how they tried, Alvin was sure they would not be able to look at his face without thinking of the way he had destroyed Theodore. It would be easier – for everyone – if he just disappeared.

He clutched his ticket and changed directions, running to the ticket collector as if he would lose his nerve to leave. When he arrived, he was slightly out of breath. "Did I make it?" He asked, realizing he had struggled with the idea of going home longer than he had thought.

"Just barely," The pretty brunette behind the counter said, taking the ticket. "Have a nice flight," she glanced at the ticket, "Mr. Miller."

"Thank you," Alvin said, and got on the plane.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Do you want to try a cherry popsicle?"

Theodore shook his head from the modified bed they had bought for him. "No, Simon, thanks anyways. I don't want to eat right now."

Simon groaned inwardly. Those words, which at one time he had never expected to hear his brother say, had become very familiar to him the past few days. "Come on, Theodore, you have to try. The only way we're going to restart your digestive system is if we get something in it."

"I'm sorry, Simon, I just can't. Maybe later?" Theodore looked at Simon plaintively.

Simon sighed in defeat. "Okay. But later we _are_ going to get something into you. I can make some chicken broth, or something."

Theodore made a face. "Ugh." His face relaxed, and he looked at the Nutri-Flow machine next to him with a defeated expression. "I'll try, Simon, but I can't promise anything."

Theodore had changed quite a bit over the last six months. His fur had grown back, for one thing, though the scarring made it lay in strange patterns on his face. The casts had come off and slowly, with Simon begging, cajoling, and finally demanding that he work with his physical therapy, he was regaining the use of his right arm. He had lost far too much weight. That was a fact Simon knew well, as he was the one who usually helped his brother into his bulky black electric wheelchair every day. They had finally come home a month ago. The jejunostomy tube feedings were still how Theodore got all his nutrition, and his doctor had said recently that if they ever wanted to get Theodore back and eating again, it had to be now or never – his stomach had atrophied far too much. They were starting with liquids before progressing to more solid foods. That had been three days ago, and so far Simon had gotten a total of three ounces into him. He had measured.

"Do you think Dave's had any luck finding Alvin?" Theodore asked suddenly.

"I don't know, Theodore." Simon told him. Truthfully, he doubted it. They hadn't been able to locate any hint of him since he had gotten to New York. After some painstaking and very expensive detective work, they had traced him to Chicago, then New York, but after that Alvin had seemed to have just up and disappeared. Still, Theodore being Theodore, every time Simon or Dave went out on a lead Theodore would be crushed when they'd return empty handed.

"I hope he's ok." Theodore looked at the clock across the room, squinting through his wire-rimmed glasses. They looked like sunglasses, with their lightly tinted lenses, but they weren't. To everyone's great relief, the only damage that the swelling in his brain had caused was optical. It could be corrected partially with special lenses, but Theodore still had difficulty at times. "I think its almost time for Eleanor to get here, Simon. Could you help me to my chair, please?"

"Of course." Simon efficiently began to deactivate the Nutri-Flow and unhook Theodore from the machinery. He had gotten very good at this, not just because he took care of Theodore almost full time but because he was also taking pre-pre med courses at the local college. It was a new program for gifted high school students that had practically been created for Simon when he had scored so highly on his early entrance exams...truth be told, there was no practically about it. It _had_ been created for him. And lately, he had been attacking those courses with a vengeance. It was if he was driven.

Simon hesitated before finishing. He hated this part. He knew how much it embarrassed his brother. "I need to check you before putting you in your chair, ok? We won't be back for a while."

Theodore closed his eyes. "Yeah, ok."

The elder chipmunk changed Theodore's mildly soiled underthings as quickly as he could. "There, all done." He said, trying to sound as normal as possible. "Ready?"

"Yes."

"Do you want a painkiller before we go?"

Theodore hesitated before he answered. "No, I don't think so." His medications had to be administered through his j-tube, and Theodore hated for anyone to have to go through the trouble to do that. Simon could tell that he was actually in pain, and so wanted to make sure. "Positive?"

"Yeah, I think so." A pause, then he said quietly. "Could you bring it along, just in case, though? Please?"

"Of course, Theodore." Simon said, retrieving the kit quickly.

"Thanks."

Simon glanced at the hoyer lift for a moment. "Do you want me to use the hoyer, or just lift you? If you don't mind, I'd rather lift you than have to struggle with that irritating hoyer. It always gets stuck just as we reach your chair."

"That's all right, you can just lift me." Theodore told him.

"Okay, give me a hug then."

Theodore reached around Simon and clasped his arms. Simon scooped Theodore up in a cradle hold, feeling the warmth of his little brother's body against his. Before the accident, Simon would have laughed at the idea of easily picking up his little brother, but now... "Okay, putting you down now." He warned before putting him into the wheelchair. He reached for the portable feeding system.

"Oh, no, Simon, I don't want to take that on our picnic. Not with all the Chippettes coming." Theodore said in dismay.

"Theodore, the doctor is really concerned about your weight. You're supposed to be on a constant 100cc an hour drip." Simon wished he didn't have to say that. The honest truth was, Theodore was painfully thin and his doctor was worried that he would start suffering from malnutrition. Hence the aggressive feeding program.

"I know, but..."

"Theodore, Eleanor and-"

Theodore grimaced. "All right, all right. I know what you're going to say. Eleanor and her sisters don't care, they've seen it before. You need to be thinking about your health."

Since that's almost exactly what he had been going to say, Simon just nodded helplessly. "Yeah. Pretty much."

The doorbell rang. Simon looked at Theodore questioningly.

Theodore sighed. "All right, put it on. I know that you'll worry to no end if you don't."

"Thanks, Theodore." Simon quickly reattached the feeding system. _Ding-dong! _"I'm coming, I'm coming." He grumbled under his breath as he hit the 'on' button.

"Go on, I'll catch up." Theodore assured him.

Quickly doing a visual double-check to make sure that everything was in place, Simon nodded. "Okay."

He didn't have as far to go as if they had been in their old room. The house had undergone many necessary modifications when Theodore had come home, and one of those had been for the downstairs den to become his new bedroom. Simon had tried to keep the old bedroom by himself – for about three nights. Then he had asked if Theodore would mind if he moved his stuff downstairs to be with him. Theodore hadn't minded at all, in fact had been overjoyed to have his brother share his room. Now only Alvin's things remained in their old bedroom, his third of the room looking very lonely.

Simon opened the door. "Hi, guys!" Jeannette and Eleanor came in as he stepped aside. He looked outside, but the last sister was nowhere to be found. "Where's Brittany?"

Jeannette looked at him, an expression that was almost guilty on her face. "She's on, uh, well-"

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Jeannette." Eleanor said, exasperated. She turned to Simon. "She's on a date with Gavin. She forgot all about our picnic."

"Yeah." Jeannette blushed.

"Oh." Simon blinked. "I thought she had broken up with him the night after

Theod....the night Alvin ran away?"

"She did. But I guess he's quite persuasive." Eleanor shrugged, and then smiled brilliantly as Theodore entered the room. "Theodore!"

"Hi, Eleanor." Theodore blushed as she hugged him and then kissed him full on the mouth. "Uh, Eleanor?" He said as she pulled away. "Jeannette and Simon are standing right there."

"So what. They can do their own kissing."

Jeannette and Simon looked at each other, and Simon felt heat rising in his face. Despite everything, neither one of them had been able to broach any type of romantic topic between them. It was always easier to just bury themselves in their work. Lately Eleanor had decided that it was her sisterly duty to set the two of the up together a little more seriously. It irritated Simon sometimes, but when Eleanor was with him was practically the only time that Theodore seemed like his old self again. That in itself was worth the harassment.

"Um, ready to go, Simon?" Jeannette said after a moment of uncomfortable silence.

"Sure, yeah." Simon said. "I'll drive." That was sort of necessary, considering the adaptive van that Theodore had to ride in.

"Okay." They stared out the door. Halfway down the ramp, Jeannette paused.

"Simon?"

His heart pounded. "Yes?"

"Did I tell you about that new chemical formula I've been working on at _Future Chemists of the World_?"

Relief flooded him. Thank goodness, a safe topic. "No, you haven't."

As they got Theodore into the van and piled into it, Simon noticed Eleanor watching them and rolling her eyes.

"Oh, brother."

OooOooO

Theodore watched Eleanor carefully place the food out in bafflement. "Uh, Eleanor?" he asked.

"Yes, Theodore?"

"There's no _food_ in that picnic."

She looked at him as if astonished. "Of course there is." She pulled out a few more Tupperware containers. "Vanilla pudding, strawberry jello, raspberry applesauce, homemade chicken soup, _without_ noodles or veggies or even chicken-"

"Chicken soup without chicken?" Theodore looked at her, confused.

Eleanor laughed, a sunny smile on her face. "I know, compliment me later, I'm good. Anyways, we also have white-grape-apple juice, rum apple butter, _peach_ applesauce..."

As Eleanor kept listing off the contents of her picnic, Theodore felt a near-unbearable surge of love for her. She had designed this meal entirely around foods she knew the doctor had encouraged for him. In fact, judging by the list, she had included _every_ food his doctor had included. "Eleanor?"

"Yes, Theodore?" She looked up at him, her eyes wide and innocent.

"I know what you're doing."

"You do?" Her face was full of mock bewilderment. "What am I doing?" She glanced down. "Oh! And I made a special chocolate-raspberry-cherry mousse for desert. Want to try?" And without warning, a spoonful had been deposited in his mouth.

"Eleanor!" Simon cried from behind her. "I need to measure that!"

"Please calm down, Simon. It's only one bite." Eleanor watched him breathlessly.

It didn't taste good. He was sure it would to the others, but to him, if felt like paste in his mouth. But Eleanor was watching him so expectantly...he swallowed, trying to ignore the nausea that followed. The aftertaste, however, wasn't bad, so he smiled a little at her. "Not bad."

Eleanor actually clapped her hands, reminding him for a moment of how she had been when she was still in grade school. "Wonderful!" She said, climbing to her knees just long enough to give him a kiss on the cheek. "What would you like to try next?"

"Uhhh..."

Somehow, Eleanor managed to get him to eat, er, drink, three spoonfuls of jello, a spoonful of applesauce, and nearly an entire quarter cup of her "chicken soup." Simon was just about going mad with frustration, Theodore knew, his eyes obviously measuring every spoonful Theodore had as accurately as he could visually. He felt for his brother, but honestly, he was just trying to concentrate on keeping everything he ate where it belonged – in his stomach.

"Any dessert?" Eleanor asked, her eyes bright with happiness.

He was glad that his eating had made her feel so good, but he had about surpassed his limit. "I can't, Eleanor. Thank you so much, but I really can't."

"Oh," her face fell slightly, but she caught it almost immediately. "That's okay, more for me."

As Eleanor set to attacking her chocolate-raspberry-cherry mousse, Theodore swallowed painfully. He shouldn't have eaten so much. He was afraid that it was all going to come back up again, but he couldn't have that in front of Eleanor, not after all she had done for him. He sat very still, trying to control the urge to relieve himself of the food he had forced into his stomach.

He honestly could barely remember what real food tasted like anymore. He remembered enjoying it, and he still liked the smell of Dave and Simon cooking, but the taste? Barely there. He watched Eleanor enjoying her culinary concoction in the same way he would have a few years ago and felt sadness. It wasn't fair. Eleanor and he had just started to explore how they felt about each other. It wasn't fair for her to be tied to him...not like this.

Theodore noticed Jeannette and Simon talking softly, and a moment later Simon looked up. "Theodore, Eleanor, do you mind if we take a walk?"

Eleanor beamed at them. "No, not at all. Take your time."

Theodore nodded. "Have fun." He actually agreed with Eleanor about the two of them, but didn't want to get involved in matchmaking. "We'll be fine."

They watched the two older Chipmunks walk away in silence. "Finally." Eleanor said after a moment. "I hope at least _one_ of them will bring it up."

There wasn't any need to ask what she wanted them to bring up. "We'll see, I guess." Theodore said. Eleanor scooted closer to his chair, reaching up to hold his hand almost unconsciously. "Eleanor..."

"Yes, Theodore?" She looked up at him.

"Are you...unhappy?" He hated to ask, but felt he had no other choice.

"Unhappy?" She looked actually confused. "Why would I be unhappy? I'm doing well in school, I have a family who loves me, a boyfriend whom I adore-"

"A boyfriend who's in a wheelchair." Theodore reminded her. "A boyfriend who can't even see past ten feet in front of him. Who can't even _eat_, much less take you out to dinner. A-"

"Theodore Seville." Eleanor said sternly, sitting up straight. "Are you going to break up with me?"

The look in her eyes made him stammer. "N-no! I'm just worried-"

"Because if this," she waved his hand to indicate him and his chair, "had happened to me, would you have deserted me?"

Leave Eleanor? Never! The thought horrified him. "No, of course not! I just-"

"Good." She snuggled into his legs again, and although he couldn't actually feel it, he felt comforted. "Because I won't let you. Break up with me, I mean. You're stuck with me, I'm afraid."

"But-"

"You do realize that I'm going to win, don't you?"

"Win?" Theodore looked down at her, confused. "What do you mean, win?"

"Win the argument. The woman always does." Eleanor looked up at him with love in her eyes. "Oh, Theodore. I knew eventually you'd try to send me away. But what you don't understand is that you can't. I've known since we were children that we were supposed to end up together, and I think you've known it too. So, please, don't make this more difficult than it has to be. I love you. Isn't that enough?"

"Of course it is." Theodore suddenly felt the need to reassure _her._ "And...I love you too."

"I know." Eleanor looked up at him again, and tears were glistening in her eyes. Theodore laughed quietly. "What's so funny?" she demanded.

"Do you realize how much you sounded like Brittany right then?" He asked. She laughed.

"I guess I did, didn't I?" The laughter quieted.

"How is Brittany, anyways?" Theodore asked. "I've been worried about her."

"All right, I suppose." Eleanor said, then paused. "She misses Alvin a lot."

"But Gavin-"

"Is a phase." Eleanor told him, putting her finger to his lips to shush him. "She's scared Alvin's never coming back, Theodore. She's scared for Alvin."

Theodore let himself gaze off into the distance. "We all are, Eleanor."

End of part 7


	8. Chapter 8

I'd like to thank everyone for the great reviews! They are greatly appreciated.

**Chapter 8**

"Anyways, Professor Trumbull thinks that the extra sulfuric acid is what caused the problem." Jeannette finished her story with relish. "_I_ think it was that there wasn't enough. But I guess we'll find out tomorrow."

"Well, I hope you're right." Simon said. "I know you'd love to show up Professor Trumbull. He's so _pompous._ I didn't like him either."

"No one does." They walked in silence for a few minutes. Jeannette watched Simon's face as they walked, noting the strain in his features. Theodore wasn't the only one that had lost weight. She was worried that he was pushing himself too far. With regular classes and his pre-med program and helping Theodore, she knew Simon was overworked and probably emotionally exhausted. She knew better than to suggest that Simon and Dave find Theodore a nurse, however. He did have one for when the others were at school – due to his medical needs he needed to have a private tutor come to him in his home – but any other time Simon refused to even consider the idea of someone other than himself taking care of his little brother.

"How are _you_ doing, Simon?" She asked then, trying not to blush. She did that far too often with Simon lately.

"Theodore's doing so much better. I've been really happy with his progress, you know. Except for the eating thing. I've been having a devil of a time trying to get him to eat." He glanced back at where Eleanor was spooning a bit of her soup into his brother's mouth. "Maybe he just needed some other encouragement than mine, though."

"I didn't ask about Theodore, Simon, I asked about you."

Simon blinked. Jeannette honestly believed that he didn't realize how often he would answer questions about his own well-being with how the others he loved in his life were doing. "Well, I'm fine, I guess. Tired, but fine."

"That's understandable."

"I've decided on a medical major, too. It wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be."

"Oh?" Jeannette was a little surprised. Last she had talked to him about his med major, he was in a quandary about what to do with it. He had said that he wanted to do it all, and obviously, he couldn't, but that the choice was impossible for him to make. Granted, that had been when he started the program eight months ago, but..."What is it?"

There was a quiet moment. "Neurosurgery." Simon finally said.

"Oh." There was no question anymore as to why he had chosen that, but Jeannette couldn't think of anything to say. "That's good."

"Yeah."

Jeannette walked a while quietly. She wished she could do as Eleanor kept urging her, and just open up to Simon about her feelings, but it wasn't as easy as all that. Eleanor wore her emotions confidently, but Jeannette had always hidden behind her bookish manner and disheveled clothing. Eleanor really didn't understand that she was afraid of losing that, well, that protection. But if she never tried, she'd never know, Eleanor was right about that. Jeannette opened her mouth to speak.

"I hope Dave comes up with something about Alvin." Simon beat her to it. "Theodore doesn't do well for days after one of us comes back with no news. It really depresses him, and each time it gets worse."

Jeannette closed her mouth, silently cursing herself for being so weak. But here, actually, on this topic she genuinely had some information for Simon. At least, she thought she did. "Oh, yeah, Simon, that's actually why I wanted to talk to you alone."   
"It is?" Was that disappointment in his voice? Why would he be disappointed? He had been searching for Alvin for months!

"Yes." She hesitated, not wanting to give him false hope, but still..."I've been running searches on the computer of all of the airports in the New York area, thinking that he might have taken a plane out of the country. He'd gotten quite a bit of money out of the bank, so its not an impossible idea."

"I know." Simon looked at her quizzically. "How did you get into those records? It thought they were restricted."

She blushed. "Yeah, well, I kind of made my own way in." In other words, she had hacked into both the bank records and the flight schedules.

"Made your own way in?" Simon asked, cocking one eyebrow. "As in broke in?"

"If you want to get technical." Jeannette said, rushing on. "As you already know, no one by the name of Alvin Seville was on any of those flights."

"Yes, the P.I we hired checked it out too. As far as he can tell, Alvin never took a plane at all. No records, and you know that they're really careful about who they'll let on plane nowadays." Simon pointed out.

"Yes, I know." Jeannette agreed. "But I cross-referenced the passenger lists by species. Chipmunks represent a minority in American society, you know, so that narrowed the list considerably."

"What's your point, Jeannette?" Simon asked her curiously. "We already know that Alvin didn't ever get on a plane."

"_Alvin_ didn't, but six months ago almost exactly an eighteen year old chipmunk by the name of Theo Miller _did."_ Jeannette said. She had walked a few steps before she realized that Simon had frozen behind her.

"Simon?" She asked, going back to him. His face looked stunned.

"Theo Miller?" Simon seemed to be incredulous. "That can't be a coincidence, can it?"

"Well, it can, but I don't think it is." Jeannette told him primly. "Last night, I tried to find out everything I could about this 'Theo Miller.' There were quite a few of them, but only one Chipmunk by that name – and he had died over ten years ago."

"Then..." Simon's shoulders drooped.

Jeannette hurried on to reassure him. "No, Simon, I think its Alvin, I really do." She paused as Simon looked at her with questioning in his eyes. "I think he bought Theo Miller's identity."

"He bought..." That was a thought that obviously never occurred to Simon. "He bought another identity?"

Jeannette nodded. "At least, that's my theory."

"Oh, my god! Why didn't I ever think about that? It explains so much!"

"I'm not a hundred percent sure of this, Simon. But..."Jeannette couldn't help but smile to see Simon so excited, but felt she had to be cautious.

"But it's the best lead we've come across in months." Simon grabbed her shoulders gently, his exhilaration apparent in his eyes. "Jeannette, tell me you found out where Theo Miller's plane was headed to. Please, please tell me you found that out."

Jeannette couldn't help it, she grinned as big as he did. "London. He went to London."

"London, England?" Simon asked incredulously.

"London, England."

"No wonder we couldn't find him! We never stopped looking outside the states!" Simon picked Jeannette up and whirled her around. Jeannette found herself laughing in joy with Simon, even if a part of her felt it was premature. "Jeannette, I could kiss you for this!"

Suddenly he seemed to realize what he was doing, and hastily put her on the ground. "I'm sorry, Jeannette. That was inappropriate."

"That's all right." Jeannette said.

"No, I was being-"

"No, I mean that's all right, you can kiss me if you want." The blush won, but Jeannette didn't care. She waited expectantly, watching his face move from apologetic to surprised to and finally to delighted. She smiled in relief, and then she was lifted off her feet as he kissed her, gently at first, then with more fervor. She followed the kiss, letting herself go for the first time in her life. She _definitely_ didn't regret it.

"Wow." She said as Simon released her moments later. "Wow."

"Wow does seem to cover it." Simon smiled at her radiantly, and she melted. "Definitely wow."

Jeannette couldn't help but ask. "Did you..."

"I kissed you because I wanted to." Simon assured her. "I've wanted to for a long time."

"Really?"

"Really." Simon glanced at Theodore and Eleanor. "They're watching, you know."

Jeannette followed his gaze and waved at little at them. "I know." Suddenly she felt a wave of confidence envelope her, and she wrapped her arms around Simon.

"Let them watch."

OoooOoooO

"Theo, catch!"

Alvin fumbled as he tried to catch the porcelain plate that Isabelle had just thrown to him. "Belle!" He said irritably, sounding for all the world like his brother Simon. "Don't do that! Mr. Collins will_ kill_ you if he catches you goofing off again."

"Oh, come on, Theo," the other Chipmunk pouted at him, the expression strange on her face due to the punk makeup she insisted on wearing. "Don't be such a stick-in-the-mud, luv."   
_Stick-in-the-mud._ Not exactly how he would have described himself six months ago, but now..."I don't want you to get fired, Belle. You're walking a fine line as it is."

"Oh, really, Theo. You need to have a little fun." She handed him a stack of dirty plates. "Here. Look, I'm being good, see?"

"Thanks." Alvin said sarcastically, taking the plates. He sighed as he began to wash them. He _hated_ when the regular dishwasher called in sick. His regular job of waiting tables wasn't much better, but Mr. Collins _always_ made Alvin sub when the regular dishwasher called in sick - which was often.

"Speaking of fun, are you going to the party tonight?" Isabelle asked.

"I don't think so." Alvin shook his head. "Daniel's parties kind of get a little too wild sometimes."

"Yeah, but that's the fun!" Isabelle grinned. "If you didn't insist on being such a stick-in-the-mud, you'd see that."

"Stop calling me that!" Alvin ordered, exasperated.

"What, stick-in-the-mud?" Isabelle laughed. "But you are one, luv. Haven't you ever wanted a little adventure in your life?"

"I think I've had enough adventure for one lifetime, thanks." Alvin replied.

"I find that hard to believe."

"You couldn't even imagine, Belle." Alvin went back to washing dishes. "Now you'd better get back to work before-"

"_Isabelle!"_

"Too late." Alvin finished.

"Theo, the party?" Isabelle whispered, her eyes darting around. They could hear Mr. Collins, but he hadn't turned the corner yet.

"No!"

"I'm not leaving until you say yes!"

Alvin could hear Mr. Collins storming towards them. "Okay, okay, just go!"

Isabelle grinned. "Meet you after work!" She shot at him as she ran off in the opposite direction – just in time. Mr. Collins came around the corner.

"Theo, have you seen Belle?" He asked, irritation in his eyes. "She's left three tables sitting without drinks for over fifteen minutes!"

"No, I'm sorry, Mr. Collins." Alvin lied, busying himself with the dishes "Isn't she in the dining room?"

"That'll be the day." Mr. Collins grumbled. He looked pointedly at the silverware drawer. "Hurry up with those spoons, Theo. We're almost out."

"Right away, Mr. Collins. "Alvin said. He grabbed the silverware drawer and sighed.

It was going to be a long night.

OoooOoooO

"Theo, are you going to hide out here all night?"

Alvin smiled at Isabelle as she sat down next to him. "I told you that Daniel's parties are a little wild for me, Belle."

"But if you'd only...never mind. Its no use." Isabelle held her hands up helplessly. "I don't get you, Theo. You travel halfway across the world to what? Wash dishes?"

"Not really," Alvin admitted.

"Then what?" Isabelle rested her head in one hand. "We're friends, right?"

"Of course."

"Then tell me. You know everything about me – from the time I was four and fell off the diving board and broke my tooth to who I broke up with last month."

"Which one, Jake or Frederick? There were two of them."

"See? Exactly my point. I've told you everything, and you've told me nothing. What's your story?" She watched him earnestly. "What are you running from?"   
Alvin was quiet. He didn't know what to tell her. After a moment, Isabelle began speaking again.

"See, as far as I can figure, something bad must have happened to you, something you feel is so terrible that you can't even stay in the same country anymore. You're definitely no criminal, so I don't think it was trouble with the law." Alvin looked at her sourly. She shrugged. "Hey, I've given this a lot of thought. You're still running, I know. You never spend any money, just hoard it like a miser, and I've seen your apartment, Theo. Spartan doesn't even begin to describe it. You're just saving up enough so that you can leave again."

"You want to stay working for Mr. Collins the rest of your life?" Alvin asked pointedly.

"Bloody hell, I hope not. But its different for me. I'm _living_ my life, Theo. You're just...well, existing." Alvin winced at her comment. She finally was quiet for a moment, then spoke again.

"You know the earth is round, right?"

Alvin looked at her quizzically. "Hey, I wasn't born in the twelfth century, you know."

"Sometimes I wonder." She laughed softly at Alvin's glare, then sobered. "My point is, if you keep running, you're going to end up right where you started. You can't run away forever."

Alvin sighed, "I know."

They sat in companionable silence for a while. Isabelle seemed to accept that Alvin wasn't going to say anything on the matter, for which he was eternally grateful. He still couldn't bring himself to talk about it. So they just sat, listening to the music wafting in from the party.

"_Forever...I'm gonna miss you forever..."_

Alvin's head shot up. "Brittany?" He said out loud before realizing he was going to speak.

Isabelle grinned at him. "You like _Brittany and the Chippettes,_ too? They're one of my favorites."

"_I keep searching my heart...got to find that missing part..."_

Alvin quickly tried to cover his slip. "Yeah, I do like them. A lot. I don't recognize this song, though."

"Are you joking? Its only being played on the radio every fifteen minutes. Its their new single." Isabelle stood. "I didn't know you were a _Chippettes_ fan. I think that this calls for you to dance."

"Uh, no, Isabelle..."Alvin trailed off as she yanked to his feet and pulled him into the party. The throng of people were dancing so closely there almost wasn't room to breath, but Isabelle didn't seem to care. "Isabelle –"

"Be quiet and dance with me." Isabelle ordered, picking up his arms and placing them around her waist. She was so close that Alvin could smell her perfume even in the pressing crowd, a light floral scent that reminded him of jasmine. She started to sway with him, and Alvin helplessly gave up and moved with her. It was just one dance.

"That's better," She whispered into his ear.

As the dance continued, Alvin listened to the song. There was a sadness to the lyrics, and a melancholy to Brittany's voice that he didn't remember her having before. She had never really been interested in doing ballads, but this slow song definitely qualified as one. It was so good to hear her voice again, even if electronically reproduced, that he closed his eyes and started to lose himself in her song. He could almost imagine that it was Brittany he was dancing with, her perfume he was smelling, and she was singing only for him.

So strong was the illusion that when Isabelle's lips touched his he at first returned the kiss, pulling her up against him into a tight embrace. The kiss broke, leaving him dazed, and she rested her head on his shoulder. "I've wanted to do that for a long time, Theo." Isabelle whispered, and the spell was broken.

He pulled away quickly, coming back to himself in a rush. This wasn't Brittany, and he wasn't in California. Isabelle looked at him, worried. "Theo, what's wrong?"

"I...I can't, Belle."

"Why not?" She reached for him, and he backed away so quickly that he bumped into the couple behind him.

"Hey, watch it, friend." The boy told him roughly.

"Sorry," Alvin told him hastily, then looked at Isabelle with contrition in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Belle." And he turned and fled the room, leaving her standing there, a confused and hurt expression on his face.

"Ah, bloody hell." She said.

End of part 8

Reviews are, as always, appreciated!


	9. Chapter 9

Everyone's reviews have really kept me motivated to keep writing. Thank you all so much for the compliments!

Pyxelle

**Chapter 9**

"I know, Dave, but-" Simon was pacing with the phone, and Theodore wondered idly if he had realized that he had twirled the phone cord around him three times. "I know its not the same as driving to L.A., but-" Theodore felt himself drifting, and had to force himself to focus. Darn painkillers. After they had finished eating, his stomach had hurt so badly that he had had to bite his lip in order not to cry...but it had made Eleanor so happy, seeing him eat, that he couldn't let her know the pain it had caused him. So he had asked Simon to take him to the park pavilion restroom and give him his pain meds. Still...he had kept the food down. He felt inordinately proud of that fact. He had kept it _all_ down.

"Dave, I realize that, but you have to..."Simon actually growled in frustration. "Yes, I know, Dave!"

"You okay, Theodore?" Eleanor whispered. Theodore pulled his wandering attention back to her.

"Fine." There was more than one reason he didn't like the narcotics, however much he might need them. Right now it didn't seem all that important, but later, when the oxycontin had worn off, he knew that he would run over every conversation he'd had that afternoon in his head to make sure he hadn't said or done anything to embarrass himself.

"You sure?" She didn't look convinced.

"Positive." He smiled at her and squeezed her hand, hoping she didn't notice the unnatural dilation of his eyes.

"Dave, that isn't fair! I've _always_ been very responsible about these things!"

"Doesn't sound like its going well." Eleanor whispered aside to him.

Theodore's eyes started to close, and he jerked them open. "Yeah, well, the phone cord is twirling about him a lot, after all."

"What did you say?" Eleanor looked at him in confusion.

Theodore realized that the words coming out of his mouth weren't anything like the words he intended to say. "I mean, He is asking a lot, after all."

She stared at him closely. "Are you absolutely positive you're all right, Theodore? You look, well, sleepy or something."

"I'm fine, Eleanor. Really." He wondered how much he would agonize over this conversation later. To his foggy recollection, he had managed to make sure that once he had any control over it, she hadn't seen him under the influence of the heavier pain meds. But today...really, the phone cord twirling? _What_ had he been thinking of?

"Okay, if you say so." He could tell that she didn't believe him.

Theodore didn't know why exactly he was so afraid of letting Eleanor know how much pain he still had to endure. He didn't want to worry her, sure, but he knew she worried anyways. Embarrassment about the meds, certainly – he _knew _what the doctor said, that he needed it because fighting through pain was only going to make the healing process harder, but he _hated_ that he was probably addicted to the narcotics by now. Absolutely, positively _hated_ it. Both Dr. Rosewood and his brother assured him that when the time came, they would wean him off the drugs slowly, but it was difficult to take anyone with any sort of ostomy off painkillers – having a permanent hole drilled into your body didn't exactly make for the most comfortable life around. So until his stomach really woke up, they couldn't remove the j-tube, and until they removed the tube, they couldn't take him off the narcotics.

He still didn't want to let Eleanor know, even though he knew she would understand and, with her customary patience and caring, probably try to make it easier for him. But he didn't _want _for her to have make it easier for him.

Maybe he just wanted to feel normal.

Simon was really the only person who had any idea of just how bad it still was. It had been his older brother who administered almost all of his meds – Simon didn't even like Dave or his private nurse to do it, in all honesty – and knowing Simon, he catalogued each drop in the precise files of his mind. It had been Simon who had held his hand and slept by his bed for a week after they had moved home, when Theodore's body had to adjust to his new bed and he had woken up crying six days straight. It was Simon...it was...was...

"Wake up, Theodore!" Eleanor shook him gently.

"Eleanor?" Oh, no, he must have fallen asleep. "Sorry, I didn't mean to doze off like that."

"That's it, as soon as Simon's off the phone we're getting you into bed." Eleanor said firmly.

"No, I'm ok, really!" He realized that she didn't believe him and it was a wasted effort to try and change her mind, but tried anyways. "A little tired, but I don't want to go to bed before we figure out what's going on." Theodore opened his eyes very wide, dimly aware he probably looked like a deer caught in headlights but it helped him be a bit more conscious of his surroundings. They hadn't really started about talking anything until they had reached the car, _after _the meds had kicked in, so he only had the faintest idea of what was going on anyways, but he didn't want to let Eleanor know that.

"You really, really don't look ok."

Eleanor jumped as Simon slammed the phone down in its cradle. "Damn it!" He said with uncharacteristic heat in his voice, finally realizing how tangled up in the phone cord he had become. He spun awkwardly trying to disentangle himself. "Stupid cord!"

"I take it the news isn't good." Jeannette said, calmly taking the phone cord and helping Simon out of it. "By the sound of your side of the conversation, I would say Dave's answer was no."

"Emphatically no would be more like it." Simon said, sitting down next to Theodore. "He thinks we're jumping to conclusions, and although he wants to check it out, he thinks that when he gets back from New York next week will be soon enough. He doesn't want me going off to another country alone."

"I hate to say it, but he's sort of right, Simon." Jeannette said hesitantly. "We're not sure of anything at this point. Maybe waiting isn't such a bad idea."

Simon shook his head. "But it _is_ a bad idea to wait, Jeannette. I just know it."

"How?" She asked.

"I don't know, I just do. If we wait, by the time we'll get there it'll be too late." Simon ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "I just have this feeling..."

"They call those hunches, Simon." Jeannette reminded him. "And remember what you've said about the hunches Alvin always had. 'A hunch is just a guess you're-"

"Hoping will turn out to be true." Simon finished with her. "I know, I know. But still...I have a hunch."

"Do you know how much you sound like Alvin right now, Simon?" Theodore asked, trying very hard to stay on track with the conversation but still drifting a little. "Alvin was always having 'feelings' and 'hunches' and 'instincts' and stuff. It used to drive you _crazy._ You used to get so mad at him –"Suddenly he realized how dreamily he was speaking, and just how sharply Simon was looking at him. "What? What did I say?"

"Of course!" Simon's face broke into a smile, and Theodore breathed a little sigh of relief. He didn't _think_ he had said anything odd in that speech. "Theodore, how much money do you have in your account?"

"Money?" Theodore blinked, the quick change of subject throwing him for a loop momentarily. He shook himself a little. "Uh, quite a bit, I think. I haven't checked for a while."

"I know I have a lot in mine, too. Definitely enough for a plane ticket and a couple of nights stay in a decent hotel."

"Simon..." There was a warning in Jeannette's voice. "I know where you're going with this."   
"Theodore's right, Jeannette." Simon told her excitedly. "It might be crazy, but he's right."   
"I am?" Theodore wasn't so sure of what he was 'right' about.

"Yes, Theodore! Maybe to _find_ Alvin, we need to _think_ like Alvin." There was a mischievous twinkle in Simon's eyes that was familiar to Theodore but not in this particular brother. "And _that_," he continued, grinning, "means getting into a little trouble."

"A little trouble? You're talking about a lot of trouble!" Eleanor pointed out.

"Yes, well, it always worked out for Alvin. Maybe we just have to trust it will for us."

"This is crazy, Simon. And not at all like you." Jeannette's face was disapproving.

"I know, but like I said...I have this feeling..."

Theodore was having trouble following the conversation and he felt a wave of frustration break through the chemical haze. "_What_ are you guys talking about?"

"Theodore, do you feel up to a little trip?"   
"A trip? To where?" Theodore suddenly realized that he had never actually caught exactly where they thought they had found Alvin. That scared him. Just how out of it had he been?

"London, Theodore." Eleanor told him gently. "Haven't you been paying attention?"

"Yes, I was," Theodore defended himself. Eleanor watched him critically.

"Theodore can't go, Simon." She turned and told his brother decisively.

"He can't stay here alone, Eleanor." Simon pointed out. She waved him away.

"This kind of trip is too much for him right now. And he has a nurse."

"But I don't think that its fair to-"

"He's not going, Simon! Stop channeling Alvin long enough to be rational for a moment. This trip would be too hard for him. He's in no condition for a cross-country tour right now."

He was sitting right here, for goodness's sake! Didn't he even get a vote? "I'm going." Theodore said firmly, but they didn't seem to hear him.

"You're right, Eleanor, I'm sorry." Simon calmed down a little. "I'll call his nurse and see if she can stay for a few days."

"I'm going too, Simon." Still no response from either of them. For crying out loud, he was a paraplegic, he wasn't a mute!

"I can help out too. I'll call Miss Miller-"

"Hello! Right here! Not deaf! Still able to make my own decisions!" Theodore finally shouted, realizing that if he didn't they would plan out the entirety of his next few days without him. "I'm going, Eleanor. If Alvin's out there, I'm going."

Simon looked at him with regret. "Theodore, Eleanor's right. I just got caught up in the moment – I don't know what I was thinking."

"I'm going, Simon."

"Theodore-"

"I'm going!"

Eleanor sighed. "I'm sorry, Theodore, that was rude of us. We should have consulted you."

"Thank you." Theodore accepted her apology.

"I'll even help you pack. Jeannette," She turned to her older sister. "Could you do me a favor?"

"Sure, Eleanor."

"Go home and pack me a suitcase with enough stuff for oh, say two weeks just to be safe." She flashed a smile at Simon and Theodore. "I think we'll be leaving real soon."

"Eleanor! Miss Miller will kill you!"

"I don't care." Eleanor grinned impishly at Simon. "Simon's not the only one who can channel Alvin here."

"Really, Eleanor. You don't want to get in trouble-"Simon began, and Eleanor shushed him with a wave of her hand.

"You're not thinking like Alvin, Simon. Did Alvin _ever_ turn down help for one of his schemes?" She looked down at Theodore and he could see determination in her eyes. "Besides, you can't search for Alvin and take care of Theodore all by yourself. You're going to need some help."

Theodore felt a momentary panic at that. He didn't _want_ Eleanor to have to see him like that, but Simon spoke up before Theodore could say a word.

"You're right, Eleanor." A little of that twinkle returned to his eye. "I'd love to have you as my partner-in-crime."

"I don't believe this!" Jeannette said in exasperation, standing up from her chair. "This is ridiculous. I'm going home."

"Jeannette?" Simon looked at her in shock.

"And Eleanor, about packing for you?" Jeannette paused at the door, glancing back. "I'll be a little bit. I need to pack for myself, too."

Simon grinned at her before running up and kissing her soundly. "Hurry back." He told her, stroking her cheek gently.

"I will...partner." And Jeannette was out the door and gone.

Simon looked at the clock. "Okay, we've got a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it."

"Right!" Theodore agreed just before his mouth opened in a jaw-cracking yawn.

Simon looked at him as if he had forgotten Theodore was there. "Oh, no, not you, Theodore."

Eleanor looked at him sternly. "You are going to bed."   
"Eleanor-"

"She's right, Theodore."

"But Simon-"

"Nope."

Theodore sighed and rubbed his slightly unfocussed eyes in defeat. At least he could sleep off the remainder of the drugs, then.

"Okay, okay." He surrendered and allowed Simon to wheel him into their bedroom.

"Don't worry, Theodore." Eleanor assured him, giving him a quick kiss before Simon went to help him get ready for bed. "The next few days definitely won't be dull for you."

"Not if we're thinking like Alvin, they won't." Simon agreed.

OoooOoooO

"At least you gave notice."

Alvin glanced up. He was stuck doing dishes again, and probably would be until the end of the week, since Mr. Collins had finally fired the frequently absent dishwasher. Isabelle was standing there, an inscrutable look on her face. He hadn't seen her since the party the night before. "It's only polite." He said.

"Sure, luv, polite." She dragged over the back cashier's chair and sat in it, watching him do dishes for a few moments. "So you're leaving when? Friday?"

"Saturday, actually."

"Oh. Where to?"

He hadn't actually decided yet, but just shrugged. "Not sure. Paris, maybe?"

"Do you speak French?" Isabelle asked casually, inspecting her bright green nail polish as if the answer interested her not at all.

"No."

"They why do you want to go to France?"

"I don't know. Sounds as good as anywhere else. And who knows?" Alvin gave her a small smile. "Maybe I'll learn French."

There was a silence where the only real noises were the clinking of the dishes he was washing. "Aren't you going to warn me that Mr. Collins will catch me 'goofing off' again?" She finally asked.

"He's not here. You're safe."

"What happened last night, Theo?" Isabelle asked suddenly, her face going from nonchalant to tight and hurt in a moment. Alvin grimaced at that look of pain. "I thought things were going well...we were dancing...and you kissed me back..."

"I know, Belle. I'm sorry." Alvin looked at her helplessly, but all that did was seem to anger her.

"Sorry, sorry, you're always sorry! Why can't you just let _go_? What are you hanging onto so tightly that you can't even live your life anymore?" Isabelle looked on the verge of tears. "What was so wrong with kissing me?"

"I don't think this is the right place for this conversation, Belle." Alvin put down his rag. "Somebody might hear."

"I don't give a bloody damn if anyone hears. Why did you run away after I kissed you?"

"Please, Belle-"

"Is it another girl? You've never mentioned one, so I thought whatever you were running from wasn't romance-related, but last night...is that it? Another girl?" The tears brimming in her eyes spilled over. "Or is it that you just don't like _me."_

"Its not like that, Belle, please." Alvin begged. "Not here. Not now."

"Then when? You're leaving, remember?" Isabelle accused. "When exactly am I supposed to talk to you? After you've left for Paris? Because I don't fancy visiting the French, luv. Never much liked the buggers."

Her lower-class accent got heavier when she was upset, and Alvin knew that he had to calm her down – fast. Isabelle was famous for her temper. "Tomorrow, okay? We can have dinner or something, I promise. Just...please, wait until tomorrow."

She wiped a tear from her eye, smearing her fuschia eye shadow a bit. "You promise?"

"I promise."

"I'm holding you to that." Isabelle stood, glancing at her watch. "I should get back to work." She gave him a penetrating gaze. "Tomorrow, right? I'm holding you to that promise."

"Tomorrow."

"Okay.Just ring me upand let me know what's going on, then." She turned on her heel and left without another word.

Alvin just stood there for a moment. He just had to get through tomorrow night, that's it. Get through tomorrow night and he had just one more week to go.

Just one more week. And then he could be gone.

End of Chapter 9

Reviews are, as always, appreciated!


	10. Chapter 10

Everyone's reviews have really kept me motivated to keep writing. (especially Atomos, Fairie-kittie, and RavenChild!) Thank you all so much for the compliments!

Pyxelle

**Chapter 10**

"I had a really good time at dinner last night, Gavin." Brittany said, batting her lashes prettily. "I've never been to the Blue Swan before."

"Yeah, well my uncle's the manager there." Gavin told her as he stepped into the Miller residence. "I have connections."

"That explains why we were given our own private dining salon ahead of the mayor." Brittany giggled at the memory. "I thought his eyes were going to pop out of his face."

Gavin laughed. "I know, he did look pretty shocked, didn't he?"

"More than shocked. Electrocuted and burned to a crisp is more like it." Brittany motioned for him to sit next to her on the loveseat. "The question is, how on earth on you ever going to top last night?"

"What, you don't think I can?"

"I have my doubts, Gavin. Last night was pretty wonderful." Brittany flattered him.

"Well," Gavin said, dropping his motorcycle helmet to the floor and leaned over to kiss her cheek quickly. "I thought we'd start with a picnic on Lookout Point."

"A picnic won't impress me after the Blue Swan, Gavin." Brittany reminded him, giggling as he began trailing kisses down her neck. "Not unless they're catering it."

"No, I made the food myself, to make up for the picnic you didn't get to have with your sisters today."

"You cook?" Brittany looked at him in mock astonishment. "Well, aren't you just full of surprises."

"There's more," He said, grabbing her hands and kissing them both gently. "After the picnic, we're going hiking."

Brittany froze, then pulled back her hands and looked at him skeptically. "Hiking?"

"Yep. Hiking." He grinned at her, handing her two slips of hard white paper. "All the way back to my bike, on which I am going to be driving you to-"

"The new Madonna concert!" Brittany exclaimed, her voice climbing even higher in her excitement. She didn't care. "Oh, Gavin, these have been sold out for months! I _love_ Madonna!"

"I know." Gavin was grinning ear to ear. "But no concert with the original Material Girl is complete without the Greatest Material Girl – or without these." He deposited two cards that looked like hospital id cards in her lap.

"Backstage passes." Brittany said in awe. "You got backstage passes to see Madonna."

"It looks that way, doesn't it?"

"Oh, Gavin!" Brittany laughed delightedly and threw her arms around his neck. "This is wonderful! You're the best boyfriend in the world!"

They both froze. "Boyfriend?" Gavin finally asked hesitantly.

"I, uh..."Brittany stammered.

Gavin held up his hand in a non-threatening manner. "Hey, no pressure. It's okay."

Brittany couldn't believe he had gotten tickets to the sold-out tour...much less backstage passes. "This is amazing, Gavin. How on earth did you do it?"

"Hey, I told you I've got connections." He laughed at her withering look. "Okay, I've been working on it for months. Its really a boring story of calling the ticketmaster, calling in a few favors...okay, a lot of favors..."

"Months?" Brittany looked at him, confused. "Gavin, we've only been dating for three weeks. Again, I mean."

"I know."

Brittany looked down at the tickets in her hand. "We're these meant for someone else?"

"No!" Gavin genuinely seemed surprised at the thought, and Brittany relaxed a little. There was no way she was going to be the consolation prize. "I got them for you. _Everyone_ knows what a big Madonna fan you are."

"But we weren't dating months ago." She reminded him.

For the first time that she could remember, Gavin blushed. "I know. Lets just say I've that you'd change your mind."

Brittany didn't know what to say to that, but luckily, she didn't have to, because just then a herd of elephants came pounding up the porch stairs. "What in the world?" was all she had time to get out before Jeannette came storming into the room. "Jeannette, what's going –watch out!"

It was too late, and Brittany winced as Jeannette's foot hit Gavin's helmet and she went flying. There was a crash as she landed into the bookshelf across the room. "Jeannette!" Brittany cried, rushing up to her. "Are you all right?"

"Fine." Jeannette said, standing up quickly and brushing herself off. "Sorry. I'm in a hurry." She barely glanced at Brittany. She just straightened her dress a bit and started back towards their bedroom at a hurried pace, not noticing that she had stepped on the spine of her favorite book, _Frankenstein_, and completely destroyed the binding. "I'll talk to you later."

Brittany picked up _Frankenstein_ and stared after her, stunned. It wasn't like Jeannette to destroy any book and not care about it, much less her favorite. Something was definitely wrong here.

"Gavin?" She called out, walking back into the living room.

"Is she always like that?" He asked, looking off in the direction that Jeannette had flown off to in amazement. "Talk about energy!"

"No, she isn't." Brittany told him with worry in her voice. She handed him the tickets and passes. "Hang onto these a second, okay? I need to go and check on Jeannette."   
"Sure. I'll just wait here for you." Gavin assured her.

"Jeannette?" She called as she walked into their bedroom. "Jeannette, are you all ri-what on earth are you doing?"

Jeannette had two suitcases out and was flinging clothes from both her and Eleanor's closets into them. "Packing." She said simply in response, not slowing down.

"Packing for what? We just finished our tour, and-hey, that's mine!" She grabbed her favorite skirt out of Jeannette's hands.

"It is? Sorry. I thought it was Eleanor's." Jeannette continued to pack.

Brittany watched her for a moment in astonishment. "Just where are you – and apparently, Eleanor – going to go?" She asked after a few seconds.

That gave Jeannette pause, and she looked around in a furtive manner that Brittany wasn't used to seeing on her sister. "Is Miss Miller around?" Jeannette finally asked, her voice almost a whisper.

"No, she's at the beauty parlor. Why?" Brittany narrowed her eyes. "What are you two planning to do?"

"We're going to London." Jeannette told her, and briskly resumed her packing. Brittany could only stare at her, stunned, for almost a minute. When she finally could speak, her voice had climbed nearly a full octave – no mean feat for a chipmunk.

"London? London!" This had to be a joke! "Why on earth would you go to London?"   
"To get Alvin and bring him home." Jeannette told her matter-of-factly. "Do you mind if we take your hairdryer? Mine is broken, and I can't find Eleanor's."

Brittany was so taken aback that all she could do was nod. They had found Alvin?

"Thanks." Jeannette said, grabbing the hairdryer. "Just use Eleanor's if you need it. Well, if you can find it."

Brittany felt as if she must be in some sort of odd dream, where the events were speeded up and you didn't have time to breathe, much less think. "Alvin's in London?"

"Yes." Jeannette paused suddenly, one of her sensible bras in her hand, and amended that. "Well, we think he is, because of Theo Miller, or, rather, we think he _is _Theo Miller, and so Simon decided that to _find_ Alvin we'd have to do something a little drastic – just like Alvin might have done - and then Theodore showed some backbone and demanded to come with –oh, dear, I didn't mean to make that awful pun, I'm sorry- and then Eleanor insisted on going to help out Theodore, and I certainly couldn't let Eleanor be Simon's partner-in-crime, it would just be wrong, especially after he kissed me today, so here I am." She sucked in a deep breath. "Oh, my, that was a really bad sentence, wasn't it?"

Trust Jeannette to be concerned about grammar at a time like this. "Wait a minute, wait a minute!" Brittany waved her hands in front of her to regain her sister's attention.

Jeannette looked at her impatiently. "What?"

"Alvin's in London." Brittany stated.

"We think so."

"You, Simon, Theodore, and Eleanor are going to London." She continued.

"Yes."

"I take it that Dave and Miss Miller have no idea this trip is taking place."

"No."

"And you kissed Simon?" Brittany ended incredulously.

Jeannette let out a contented sigh. "Yes."

Brittany waited almost a full two seconds before running to her own closet. "We need to get hurrying, then!" She pulled out her own suitcase. "There's not a lot of time before Miss Miller gets home."

It wasn't until she had actually stepped back into the living room that she remembered that Gavin was still there. She stopped dead in her tracks, so suddenly that Jeannette crashed into her. Luckily, neither of them fell, but Gavin jumped up to help her all the same.

"Brittany, are you okay?" He asked, holding onto her arm to give her support.

"Yes..no.." Brittany gazed at him helplessly. There was no easy way to do this. "I have to go, Gavin. I'm so sorry, but I have to go away."

"Go? Where?" Gavin looked confused, and glanced at the suitcase. "How far away?"

"Far away, "She told him regretfully, tightening her grip on the suitcase. "Its an emergency."

Gavin glanced from her to her suitcase and back to Brittany several times. "When will you be back?" He finally asked.

Brittany looked at Jeannette, who only shrugged. "I don't know, Gavin." She told him truthfully. Jeannette gestured towards outside, pushing Brittany in front of her and out the door.

Gavin stood alone in the middle of their living room, a baffled expression on his face. "Brittany!" He called just before they started down the steps.

"Yes?" She called back.

"What about Madonna?"

There was a pause. Then Brittany shouted back as they ran to Jeannette's car.

"Tell her I said 'hi!'"

OoooOoooO

Simon was giving Eleanor a crash course- in every...single...class he'd had in pre-medical school.

Well, not actually, but as the list of things she had to remember grew, she certainly felt that way. She'd had no idea to what extent Theodore was still dependent on assistive devices. The hoyer lift, for example, completely floored her. There was this sling that went under Theodore, and then you'd hook it up to these two-foot chains that attached to a machine that was pumped up with a lever to lift him out of his chair...she didn't really know how she had thought he'd gone from his chair to his bed and vice-versa, but he hadn't let her into his room and she'd honestly never really asked. She'd felt relief when Simon said he rarely used the contraption, but when he described the cradle hold he used instead she knew she wasn't strong enough to lift him in that manner. So she tried her hardest to remember just how the hoyer worked. She hoped Simon didn't mind explaining again later, because she thought she'd probably need it.

And then there were the medications. She'd known he was still on some, but the list was staggering. Laxatives, blood thinners, multiple types of vitamins, and a frighteningly long list of pain medications were on the list that Simon thrust into her hands. "How does he get these?" She asked timidly, wondering because just drinking enough water to swallow all the pills he must have would have kept his stomach working overtime.

"Oh, he gets them through his j-tube. They're all in liquid form." Simon told her as he packed the medications carefully, detailing each one for her so that she would know how to use them. She couldn't remember one of them. He must have caught the look of concern on her face, because he patted her brotherly on the shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll help you the first few times. It's easy."

"Do you mind writing it down, too?" She asked a little timidly.

"Of course not."

She wondered just _why_ Theodore hadn't told her about all of this. She'd always known that he'd downplayed his condition, but not nearly to this degree. There was a whole other world that Theodore lived in that she'd had no idea existed. They'd talked a few times about what he was going through, but he'd always dismiss his own problems and they'd change subjects quickly. Now, she wished she had pressed him harder.

"This is the oxycontin. It's the strongest pain med he has, but he still gets it pretty much every day at once or twice –"

"He does?" Eleanor knew she sounded surprised, but didn't care. "I didn't know that-"

"They were interrupted by the door crashing open "We're here!" Brittany said, flinging a suitcase on the table. "Everyone ready?"

Simon and Eleanor just looked at her in confusion. Jeannette was not far behind her. "Hi, guys." Jeannette said, putting her own two suitcases down on the table. A sock was peeking out of one of them. "We're here."

"Yes, we see." Simon said, looking at Brittany in confusion, then back to Jeannette. The disheveled Chippette started to speak, but Brittany cut her off.

"Oh, you didn't really think you were going to leave without me, did you?" She asked, flopping down into a chair. "Well, its not going to happen, so you'd better just call and make sure you have one more ticket for us." She looked around at all of them staring at her dumbly. "Well? Aren't you going to call? We're in a hurry here, people!"

"Um, Brittany, we just decided to go an hour and a half ago." Simon told her. "Theodore just lay down. We're in a rush, but not that big of a rush."

Brittany glared at Jeannette for some reason, then looked back at Simon. "Then when _are_ we going?"

Simon looked at Eleanor, then to the list he was writing for her. "Umm. I haven't gotten to call the airp-"

"Oh, never mind, _I'll_ do it." Brittany grabbed the phone book and, grabbing the portable phone and heading into the privacy of the dining room, shot back at them, "And you people _honestly_ thought you'd get along without me?"

"Oh, this is going to be fun." Simon said sourly.

"That's not nice, Simon." Jeannette scolded him.

"Sorry." Simon looked at Eleanor expectantly. "Should we continue?"   
Eleanor sighed. "Yes." She glanced back towards the boys' bedroom.

"I need to know these things." She said.

**End of part 10**

Reviews have been great, and are appreciated!


	11. Chapter 11

Everyone's reviews have really kept me motivated to keep writing. (Especially Atomos, Fairie-kittie, and RavenChild!) Thank you all so much for the compliments!

**Chapter 11**

"You're awfully quiet tonight."

Alvin smiled thinly. "Sorry."

Isabelle looked down at her broccoli alfredo. "I don't know why I'm even surprised. Its not like you've ever been Mr. Talkative."

"I guess not." Alvin replied. He'd barely touched his shrimp primavera, and Isabelle's own food sat in front of her largely uneaten. The chef was going to think that they had disliked his cuisine. In actuality, Alvin simply had no appetite, and he was betting that Isabelle felt the same.

Alvin pushed a piece of pasta around on his plate for a few moments before giving up the effort and putting his fork down. He wasn't going to be able to eat anything.

As if on cue, Isabelle put her own fork down. "Not hungry, either, huh?"

"Not really."

"Okay then." Isabelle pushed her plate slightly to one side. "So talk."

This was what Alvin had been dreading. "About what?"

"Hah, hah, very funny." Isabelle said sarcastically. "If you can't tell, I am not amused."

"No, no, I can tell." Alvin sighed. "I'm sorry about the other night, Belle. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I know." Isabelle shrugged. "And I'm sorry I got so upset with you yesterday. I was just…well, upset."

"That's okay, I deserved it."

"Yeah, you did." Alvin stuck his tongue out at her childishly, but she didn't seem to notice. "Go on."

Alvin looked at her blankly. "I don't know what you want me to say, Belle."

"I want you to explain to me."

"Explain what?"

"Explain everything." Isabelle said firmly. "Explain what you're running from, why you won't talk about it – and why kissing me scared you so much."

Where to start? And how much could he really tell her? "I…I hurt someone I love. Badly."

"A girl?"

Alvin laughed softly. "No, not a girl."

"And you feel it's your fault that this person got hurt." It was a statement.

"It _is_ my fault." Alvin clarified.

"How badly was this unnamed person hurt?"

"Bad." Alvin said grimly. "In fact, he barely survived."

Isabelle whistled. "That is bad."

"I know." Alvin nodded.

"So that's what this self-imposed exile is about?"

"I guess so." A part of him wished he could tell her the whole story, but he knew he couldn't.

"You're not giving me a whole lot of details here, Theo." Isabelle pointed out as if she could read his mind.

"I'm sorry," Alvin said. "There are reasons, Belle. And…its hard to talk about."

"I can accept that. For now." Isabelle picked up her spoon and began twirling it in her fingers. "But that doesn't explain the other night. It doesn't explain why kissing me caused you to freak out."

Alvin was quiet for a moment. He looked at her, at the pretty face she nearly hid under the bright hued makeup she wore, the blue-dyed hair, and wondered how she still managed to be so adorable through the punk styles. If things had been different…

But they _were_ different. It was likely he'd never see Brittany again except on the television. His old life was a world away, but he couldn't seem to let her go…even though she had let him go before he had even left. _I love you_. He remembered her tear-streaked face with a pang. How much of that sentiment had been true? Did it even matter now?

"Theo, are you going to talk?" Isabelle asked, and Alvin shook himself out of his reverie.

"Sorry."

"You should tape-record that word and just play it back whenever you want to say it. Save yourself some breath." Isabelle said sourly.

"Sorry." He said automatically, and then winced. Isabelle just sighed. "There was…there was a girl back home."

"I thought so." Isabelle said. "Did you love her?"

Alvin thought for a moment. "Yes, I did. I still do, sort of. I know I'm never going to see her again, but she's really hard to let go of."

"Do you think she's still waiting for you?"

Alvin thought briefly of Gavin, and tried to stamp down the accompanying flash of jealousy. "No, I don't think so."

"So why are you holding onto her so tightly?"

"You have to understand, Belle. We've known each other since we were children. We fought a lot – really, you wouldn't believe it how much we fought – but I think both of us thought that we'd ultimately end up together. Its hard to let go of someone you've believed was your soul mate since you were eight."

"Oh great." Isabelle said wryly. "Trying to compete with a childhood sweetheart."

"You're not competing, Isabelle." Alvin tried to tell her, reaching for her hand, but she pulled away.

"Yes, I am." She looked at him helplessly. "I've made my feelings clear, Theo. And I don't really care how bad your past is, or how hard you make it for yourself. I care about _you_. As long as you're not Charles Manson in disguise, I don't think that's going to change."

"Belle, I-"

"No, let me finish." Isabelle held up a hand. "Are we soul mates? Probably not. I'm not sure I believe in them anyways. Do I even love you? Honestly? I don't know."

She reached out for his hand, lacing her fingers through his, and surprising himself, Alvin let her. "Do I care about you? Yes. Do I want to be with you? Yes. And really – instead of running, wouldn't it be better if you moved on?"

"I-"

"I'm still not finished, Theo." Belle scolded him. "I'm not asking for much. Just a chance. You've said yourself your old life is behind you. I am not questioning that. But don't you think its time you moved on with _this_ life?"

Alvin took the time to consider her words. Belle didn't seem to be in any rush for an answer. What good would it do for him to hold onto a past he had rejected? His family was far away from him now, both by distance and by emotion, and Brittany had found someone new after their latest breakup with very little difficulty. Simon knew that Theodore's accident was his fault, and that meant that everyone else knew too. Theodore…well, Theodore was just good-hearted enough to possibly forgive him, but Alvin knew he'd never be able to forgive himself. What _was_ he holding onto? Was he just punishing himself? The more he thought about it, the more he came to believe it.

"Maybe you're right." He finally said, squeezing her hand gently.

"Of course I'm right." Isabelle said, a smile on her face suddenly.

Alvin frowned. "I'm still leaving for Paris, Belle. I've already bought my ticket."

Isabelle shrugged. "That's okay. I have enough money for one, too."

Alvin was so surprised that he dropped her hand. "Really? You want to go to France?"

"I want to go wherever you go." Isabelle told him, and he felt a wave of warmth flood him. "I have nothing holding me here. I'm a drifter, too, you know."

"But I thought that you hated the French."

"Who knows?" Isabelle smiled mischievously. "Maybe I'll learn to like them."

"You think so?" Alvin asked doubtfully.

"No, probably not."

"Then why?"

Isabelle shook her head. "Don't question everything, Theo. Isn't it enough that you will have someone who cares about you with you from now on?"

Alvin thought about that briefly. "I can't promise anything, Belle. I know it's not fair to you, but…my feelings are kind of a mess right now."

"I'm not expecting anything. I just want a chance." She looked at him hopefully. "Do you think there's a chance you might give me one?"

There was a pause, and then he smiled at Isabelle.

"Yes, there is, Belle." He said. "I think there is."

OoooOoooO

"This has got to be the longest flight in the history of the world." Brittany sighed. "You know, I could be talking with Madonna right now."

Next to Theodore, Simon grumbled. "If she mentions Madonna one more time, I'm going to-"

"Simon!" Jeannette hissed at him.

Simon looked abashed. "Sorry."

Theodore grinned at the byplay between his brother and Jeannette. It had taken less than a day for them to fall into a relationship pattern that delighted both Eleanor and Theodore. Theodore wondered if they even knew they were still holding hands. The plane jerked a little, and the grin was gone from his face instantly as a wave of pain accompanied it.

Flying wasn't really agreeing with him.

"Are you all right, Theodore?" Eleanor asked from beside him.

"I'm fine." Theodore tried to assure her, smoothing his features so she couldn't see the etches that the constant aches would make. He had become quite good at that. "My ears just popped."

"Oh. Okay." Theodore was glad she –apparently, at least- believed him. He had caught her looking at him oddly a few times ever since he had woken up, and wondered if he had said something worse than the phone-twirling comment earlier. He didn't remember doing so, but the day was fuzzy after the picnic…

Despite needing to find an aircraft equipped with the facilities to transport Theodore, Brittany had managed to charter a plane that was ready to leave in only four hours. When Simon asked why she had chartered a plane instead of buying tickets, she had just looked at him in bafflement and said, "Why not? We can afford it."

There were definite advantages to being a teenage superstar.

Not that Theodore was, at least not anymore. He hadn't touched his drums since the accident. He knew his right arm – his dominant arm- was still too weak, and he was afraid of hearing just how badly he would sound. Still, it had been the promise of playing those drums again that Simon had used to finally get him to start really working with his physical therapy. He didn't necessarily need his legs to play the drums – Simon had assured him they could rig up something to replace the foot petal for the bass.

But none of that mattered without their lead guitar and singer. Simon's keyboards and his drums did not make a band. They needed Alvin.

The plane shuddered a little, and Theodore suppressed a wince. The turbulence was killing him, but he had refused his pain meds before the flight. He didn't want a repeat of that afternoon, not with Eleanor right here. He was still in a bit of a panic about her coming along. Eleanor was insisting on learning how to help him, but all Theodore could do was try and come up with ways to avoid that help. How long would he really be able to do that? Considering how busy Simon soon was going to be and just how much assistance he still needed, not long.

Another shudder, and this time Theodore couldn't stifle the little yelp of pain. Eleanor looked at him worriedly.

"Okay, I know you're hurting, Theodore. Why don't I get your medic-"

"No!" Theodore shook his head violently. "I'm fine, really. I just don't like the turbulence."

Eleanor's eyes searched his face. "Theodore, why are you lying to me?"

"What? I'm not-"

"Stop it, Theodore. Don't tell me you're fine and then grit your teeth and pretend you're not hurting." Eleanor took his hand. "Simon's been giving me a crash course in your daily routines, Theodore."

Theodore's eyes widened. "He has? Already?"

"Yes."

"Oh." Theodore looked at his lap. "I didn't know that."

"So, are you going to let me help you, or do you want me to get Simon and we can keep playing these games forever?"

Theodore sighed in defeat. "All right."

Eleanor moved quickly, as if afraid that he would change his mind. "Simon, I need Theodore's med kit, please."

"Why?" Simon broke off his conversation with Jeannette, immediately concerned. "Is something wrong?"

"No, no, he just needs his pain meds."

"Oh." Simon retrieved the kit. "Come on, Theodore, I-"

"No, Simon, I'll help him." Eleanor took the kit out of his hands. "I remember how."

"You sure?" Simon asked doubtfully.

"Positive."

"How bad is his pain?" Simon asked.

Eleanor glanced at Theodore. "Bad. I was thinking about the oxy-cotton. Fifteen cc's, right?"

"Oxycontin." Simon corrected her, nodding. "And right, it's fifteen cc's. Make sure to flush the tube with thirty cc's of water afterwards."

"Right."

Theodore let Eleanor wheel him to the back of the plane, which housed a small kitchenette area. Brittany had chosen the plane well, but quarters were still cramped and he'd had a little trouble maneuvering his electric wheelchair.

"I'll just be a second to get things ready." Theodore watched as she pulled the syringe full and set it aside, her manner as brisk and efficient as if she did this everyday. "Ready?"

"I guess." Theodore felt intense embarrassment as he lifted his shirt just enough to reveal the jejunostomy site. "You know, I can finish myself…"

Eleanor shook her head. "No, Simon told me how awkward the angle is for you, especially using your right arm. I don't mind doing it."

If the stoma site bothered Eleanor at all, she didn't show it. It still bothered him. He usually wouldn't even look when Simon was administering his meds or hooking up his Nutri-Flow, as if by denying it his attention he could deny its existence.

"We need to talk, Theodore." _Beep._ She turned off his feeding pump so that she could gain access to the open end of the tube.

"About what?" Theodore asked hesitantly. He was pretty sure he knew.

"About this." Eleanor didn't have to clarify what "this" was. She pushed the end of the syringe into the tube and depressed the stopper. "About whatever else you've been lying to me about."

"I haven't been-" At a sharp look from Eleanor, Theodore quieted. "Sorry. But honestly, then…this won't be the best time to have this conversation. The meds make me, well, a little loopy."

"I noticed earlier." Eleanor clipped the tube shut and refilled the syringe with water. "But we still need to talk."

"What do you want me to say?"

"Well, for starters, why you haven't told me about this." She held up the syringe. "I had no idea you were still on such strong pain medications."

"Oh, that."

"Yeah, that." She flushed the tube. "How bad is it –really?"

Theodore thought briefly about downplaying it, as he usually did, but decided against it. Somehow Eleanor seemed to be able to read his mind, and he didn't want to make her more upset than she already was. "Bad, sometimes. The stoma site's above where I lose feeling – that hurts pretty much all the time. And everywhere else…well, everywhere else just aches a lot. It changes from day to day."

"The pain meds?"

Theodore sighed. "I still need them almost every day. Dr. Rosewood says that's okay, and to be expected. She says I've been through a lot, and shouldn't be ashamed of needing…chemical assistance."

"She's right." Eleanor still wasn't meeting his eyes, instead moving to re-hook his Nutri-Flow to the tube. "There's no shame in using pain medication, Theodore. No one thinks any less of you."

"No one except me." Theodore said, an uncharacteristic note of bitterness in his voice. "Don't you see, Eleanor? I'm dependent on them now. Sometimes I wonder if I ask for them for the pain, or because I'm so used to it now that it just seems natural."

"I think you're being too hard on yourself." She snapped the final clip into place and turned the Nutri-Flow back on.

"Really? Do you really want a drug addict for a boyfriend?" Theodore's bitterness was fading rapidly, to be replaced by an equally as unwelcome despair.

"You're not a drug addict, Theodore." Eleanor held up her hand to quiet him when he tried to protest. "You may be dependent upon them, yes, but not by choice. There's a difference between someone who does drugs for fun and someone who needs medication due to surviving a terrible accident." She looked at him critically. "That's not the only reason you didn't tell me, though, is it. It's not just because you're ashamed about the narcotics."

Theodore really wished this newfound power of mind reading that Eleanor had acquired would stop. "No, it isn't."

"What else, then?"

Theodore sighed. Eventually he was going to have to talk about it. "I didn't want you to leave me."

Eleanor let out a breath in exasperation. "Theodore, I thought we just had this conversation. Listen, I-"

"No, you listen…please." Uh-oh. He was already starting to feel a little lightheaded. Due to the fact that his meds were liquid and fed directly into him, it took very little time for them to kick in. But that was no excuse to be rude. "I've been ignoring it and so have you. I'm not who I was seven months ago, Eleanor. I can't be there for you in the way I want to. In the way that you _should_ have someone there for you." He sighed, realizing that, whether he liked it or not, the oxycontin had already loosened his tongue and he was probably going to say some things that he would later regret. "Have you even thought about the future?"

"Of course I have! I-"

"Really? Because think about it. What if we got married? Do you want kids?"

His verbal attack seemed to have floored her. "Well, yeah, I guess. I haven't really thought about-"

"Because I never really asked my doctor, but I'm pretty sure I can't have kids. I'm dead below the waist, remember? So when you should be changing your babies' diapers, you'll be changing your husband's, because I can't even use the bathroom properly anymore!"

"Theodore, I-"

Theodore felt as if a dam had burst, and he couldn't stop. "Have you ever thought about becoming a nurse? Because that's what you'll be. Just a nurse who has very affectionate patient. That's not fair to you. You can't ignore it forever –and neither can I."

"Theodore!" Eleanor looked on the verge of tears.

"I'm not even sure why you're still with me sometimes, Eleanor. I can't be very enjoyable to be around anymore."

"Theodore, its because I lov-"

"Don't say it, Eleanor. I don't need your pity." Theodore barely recognized his voice, the bitterness had come back so thickly.

_Crack!_ Theodore didn't know what surprised him more, that Eleanor had just slapped him full across the cheek or that he knew that he had deserved it. Suddenly he replayed the last few moments in his mind, horrified.

"Oh, Eleanor, I'm so sorry." He pushed aside the increasingly heavy daze the oxycontin was sending him into. "I didn't mean it."

Eleanor just sat and stared at him, tears streaming down her cheeks. She didn't seem to be able to say anything.

"Eleanor, please, say something. I'm so sorry. I really, truly didn't mean it. I just got so angry…I don't even know why…but I told you that the meds made me loopy…" he couldn't seem to come up with anything sufficient to make his apology stick. So he stuck with the tried-and-true. "I'm sorry, Eleanor. So, so sorry." Still silence. "Eleanor?"

She just stared at him as if he were a stranger. "Eleanor, please. I'm sorry."

Finally the Chippette spoke. "I…I know, Theodore."

Neither of them knew what to say for a few moments. They had never fought before. "Eleanor?" Theodore ventured after a moment.

"Yes?"

Theodore fought for the courage to say something he'd said every day for months. "I…I, uh…I still love you."

"Thank you." That wasn't exactly the answer he'd been hoping for, and he said so.

"That's not real encouraging."

Eleanor smiled at him wanly. "I love you too."

"Still not real encouraging." Theodore tried to joke, but it fell flat. He reached for her hand, and was rewarded when she gave it to him without hesitation. "I'm just so scared, Eleanor. You mean more to me than anything in the world, and I don't want to ruin your life just because we think that-"

She shushed him by putting her finger over his mouth, a gesture that was quickly becoming her trademark. "Don't talk, Theodore. Lets just be together. Don't talk."

Somehow, that remark was even less encouraging than the earlier slap.

**End of part 11**

Reviews have been greatly appreciated!


	12. Chapter 12

Everyone's reviews have really kept me motivated to keep writing. (especially Atomos, Fairie-kittie, and RavenChild!) Thank you all so much for the compliments!

**Chapter 12**

"This'll do, I suppose." Brittany said critically.

Simon agreed with her. It would definitely do. If he ever got it in his head to go on an extensive vacation, he would have Brittany plan it, because he thought that the Palace Hotel was probably the most opulent place he had ever been. "I have to admit, this is great, Brittany."

"And you doubted me?" Simon thought briefly about answering, but thought Brittany probably wouldn't really want to hear it – and he didn't want to be on the receiving end of one of Jeannette's scathing looks. "Here's your key, Simon. You have the room next to us. If the hotel staff got our reservations right, we should have a door connecting our rooms."

"Thanks." Simon took the punch card gratefully. "Come on, Theodore, let's go check out our room."  
Both he and Theodore stopped dead as they entered their room. "Wow." Theodore said in awe.

"Yeah. Wow." Simon put down the suitcases. "Wow, indeed."

The room was more than just a room – it was practically an apartment. From the look of it, it was Donald Trump's apartment. There was a huge fireplace in the main room, and the vaulted ceilings made the already large area seem even larger. The décor was done in tasteful beiges and blues, with brass accents glinting everywhere. A kitchenette sat off to one side, and a spiral staircase soared up to a second story. All in all, it was the most impressive hotel room Simon had ever been in. "Well, it's not the Holiday Inn, that's for sure."

"No, it's not." Theodore seemed to just notice the staircase, and his expression changed to one of dismay. "Oh, no. I hope the bedroom's not up those stairs."

Simon did a quick exploration of the suite. "There's one up there, but one down here, too. We can use that one."

"Oh, good." Theodore said with relief. "Then, do you mind I lay down, Simon? I've been in this chair for hours."

"Of course not." Simon said. They hadn't delivered the hoyer yet, but Simon didn't need it. "It's time for meds, anyways."

Theodore seemed even more withdrawn than usual as Simon got him settled into the bed. It wasn't as good as Theodore's bed at home, but Simon used all the pillows available to make it as comfortable as possible. After he had Theodore settled, he looked at it critically.

"This will have to do, I suppose."

"It's fine, Simon."  
"You're sure you're comfortable? Because I could probably find a hospital supply store and-"

"I said, its fine!"

Simon stared at Theodore, surprised at the irritation in his brother's voice. Theodore sighed.

"I'm sorry, Simon. I'm just in a bad mood."

"I noticed." Simon had also noticed the strain between Theodore and Eleanor earlier when they had finally disembarked from the plane. "Did you and Eleanor have a fight?"

Theodore looked at him, astonished. "How did you know?"  
Simon shrugged. "I pay attention." He waited a moment. "So…?"  
Theodore shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it."

He didn't want to press the matter. "Okay. I'll-"  
They were interrupted by a knock on the door. "I'll be right back." Simon promised.

"No hurry," Theodore said, yawning. He took off his glasses and laid them on the bedside table. "I think I'm going to take a nap."

"All right."

Jeannette was waiting just outside the door. "How's Theodore?" She asked in a loud stage whisper.

"He's taking a nap," Simon said in his normal voice, shutting the door behind him. "  
"Oh." Jeannette paused. "Is everything okay? Eleanor seems pretty upset about something, but she won't tell me about what."  
"I'm not sure. Theodore said they'd had a fight, but he wouldn't give me any details."

"Eleanor won't either." Jeannette bit her lip. "I'm a little worried about them."

"Me, too."

Jeannette shook her head as if to clear it. "But that's not why I came over here. I came over to give you this."

"What is it?" He unfolded the paper. Six addresses were listed on it. Simon looked at Jeannette quizzically.

"Those are all the addresses in the London area that are registered to either Theodore Miller or T. Miller." She told him.

Simon looked at her, stunned. "But when did you have time…?"  
Jeannette shrugged. "On the plane, when you were napping. I had my laptop and this portable high-speed wireless modem I cobbled together, so I did a little snooping."  
"But on the plane? How'd you even connect? I thought you couldn't at thirty thousand feet. I didn't think…never mind." He kissed her cheek. "You never cease to amaze me."

"Thanks." Jeannette blushed and smiled at him. "So when do you want to check these out?"

Simon glanced back to the bedroom, where his brother was already asleep, no doubt. "No time like the present."

"But you've been on a plane for over twenty hours, Simon!" Jeannette protested. "Don't you think you should get some sleep?"

Simon shook his head. He had gotten very, very good at functioning with little to no sleep. "No, I'll sleep when I come back."

Jeannette watched him doubtfully. "Okay. Do you want me to come with you?"  
He paused a moment. "No. Could you stay here and keep an eye on Theodore? If he needs anything, just ask Eleanor for help. I've been giving her the run-down."

"Sure."

And don't tell Theodore where I went." Simon reflected a moment. "In fact, don't tell Brittany or Eleanor, either."

Jeannette frowned. "Why not?"

"Alvin ran away, remember." Simon said grimly. "We might have come all this way, but we can't forget that. I'm not so sure he's going to be _glad_ to be found."

OoooOoooO

Alvin realized how few possessions he really had while packing. "I can't believe I survived without a few Bruce Springsteen cds and a basketball." He chuckled to himself. Talking to himself was a childhood habit he just didn't seem to be able to break. "Or even a spare cap or two."

His smile faded. He hadn't worn a cap since the night he had lost his after Theodore's accident. He'd never bothered to replace it.

Alvin tried to shake off the memories. He was moving on, he reminded himself. He and Isabelle were getting together in a few hours to discuss the particulars of their move. He pushed the thoughts out of his mind.

It was good feeling as if he might actually get to make a fresh start. Isabelle had infected him with her enthusiasm, and for the first time in what seemed like forever he felt a little like his old self. He was actually excited about going to Paris. Sure, he didn't have a job, or an apartment, or even the faintest idea of how to speak French, but that's what made it fun.

There was a knock on the door, and Alvin grinned. It was just like Isabelle to be so impatient. "Belle, we weren't supposed to meet up until-"

Alvin's words halted dead as he opened the door, and it felt as if his very heart had stopped. "Simon?"  
"Alvin!" Simon shoved the paper he was holding in his pocket, heedless of how he crumpled it, and grabbed his brother roughly. Alvin found himself encased in a bear hug that threatened to cut off his breathing. "I can't believe it! This was the last address on the list – I thought Jeannette must have come up with a bust!"

Alvin just stood there stiffly, hands at his side. He didn't know what Simon was talking about – he couldn't even really believe his brother was actually here. "Simon?" He just repeated his brother's name dumbly. "I...I can't breathe."

"Oh, sorry." Simon released him so suddenly that Alvin actually stumbled a few steps back. "I just can't believe I actually found you. I mean, that is why we came here, to find you, I mean, but I think a part of me thought Dave was right and it was just a wild goose chase – but it's not, you're here." Simon looked as if he was going to hug Alvin again, and Alvin backed away a few steps.

"Whoa, whoa. Enough with the lethal hugging." Alvin held up his hands as if to ward off his brother. "What are you _doing_ here?"

That seemed to bring his brother back to earth a little bit. "What do you think I'm here for? To bring you home!"

"Home?" Alvin said incredulously.

"Really, Alvin," Simon said, sounding exactly like Alvin remembered – perpetually irritated and older than his years. "Everyone's been so worried about you. Dave's been out of his mind, and Theodore…well, Theodore really misses you."

Theodore. "Theodore's not here, is he?" A panic gripped Alvin. He didn't think he could face his little brother.

"Yes. Well, not here, obviously, but in London, at the hotel. He's going to be so excited –" Simon finally seemed to notice the open suitcase, and his buoyant speech stopped. He looked from Alvin to the suitcase and back to Alvin again, and cocked his eyebrow. "Going somewhere?"

Alvin slammed the suitcase shut, trying to ignore the unexpected feeling of guilt that he felt. "No."

"It sure looks like it." Instead of looking angry, Simon looked strangely pleased with himself. "I _knew_ it! Dave-"

"Dave? Is Dave here too?" Alvin's voice climbed a notch.

"Uh, no." For some reason, Simon looked suddenly guilty. "He's in New York."

"New York? What's he doing in New York?"  
Simon gave him a piercing gaze. "Looking for you."

"Oh."

"But its good you're packed. We can leave right away then, before Dave even knows we were gone, and-"

"Leave?" Alvin asked, starting to get angry. Simon could be so presumptuous! "I'm not leaving, Simon."

Simon sighed as if he had been expecting this. "Please, Alvin. You have to come home."

"I don't 'have to' do anything, Simon." Alvin let the welcome anger subsume the panic and guilt gratefully. "Has it ever occurred to you that I've known where 'home' was all along? I don't _want_ to go home."

"Alvin," Simon's face tightened in its own anger. "Don't be an idiot."

"An idiot? Thanks so much, with encouragement like that I'm sure going to want to leave with you."

"Can the sarcasm, Alvin." Simon glared at him. "We need you back at home. _Theodore_ needs you."

A pang stung Alvin's heart. "He doesn't need me."

"No?" Simon's hands balled into fists, and suddenly Alvin felt as if he had been transported back in time to seven months ago, and he and Simon had never ended their fight in the hospital cafeteria. "Don't you even care about Theodore, Alvin? Aren't you even going to _ask_ about him?"

There was nothing in the world that Alvin wanted more than to see his baby brother again, but to protect him, he had to resist the selfish urge to do so. Still, Simon's words brought back the memory of a promise he had made to his brother as he lay still in a hospital bed. Keeping with the spirit of that promise rather than the letter, Alvin knew the best way he could help his brother was to make sure he never hurt him again. "I-"

But Simon wasn't done. "Because he's not doing well, Alvin. He's lost so much weight that his doctor's considering putting him back into long-term care at the hospital unless we can get his stomach working again. He still can't eat. He's always in pain. And he asks about you _every…single…day."_ Simon took a step forward, and unconsciously Alvin took a step back. "The first thing he did when he woke up was ask for you, Alvin. And I promised him I'd find you!" Simon stared at him with fury in his eyes. "Don't you dare make me break my promise, Alvin."

"You didn't break it. You did find me." Alvin pointed out weakly.

"I said to can the sarcasm, Alvin."

"I know, I know." Alvin sighed, his anger evaporating. "But I can't go home, Simon."

"Why on earth not?"

"I just can't." Alvin wished he could explain, but he didn't have the words. He could risk hurting anyone he loved again…not Simon, not Brittany, and certainly not Theodore.

"Damn it, Alvin!" Simon threw his hands up in frustration. "Can you stop thinking of yourself just this once!"

Alvin's anger rekindled. He wasn't thinking only of himself, not this time. Couldn't Simon see that they were better off without him? "Get out, Simon. You're wasting your time."

"Alvin-"

"I mean it!" Alvin shouted, hoping he had the courage to face his brother down this one last time. "Get out! I'm _not _leaving! Hollywood isn't my home anymore – and you are not a part of my life."

Simon stared at him in shock. "Who _are_ you? How can you be so selfish?"

Alvin tried not to let Simon see just how his words cut him. It was for the best. "You don't know me anymore, Simon. And if you won't leave…"He grabbed his coat off the hook, "then I will."

Alvin left Simon standing in the middle of his apartment, mouth agape, and walked away from his old life forever.

OoooOoooO

Brittany stared at her nails critically. "Do you think I should use a darker pink?"

Jeannette didn't answer. She was staring at the clock as if it were the most entertaining thing in the world. "Jeannette?"  
"What? Oh, no, that color's lovely, Brittany."

Brittany rolled her eyes. Sometimes it seemed as if Jeannette only had one foot planted on this planet. "I'm not so sure." She didn't want to admit she was worried about how she'd look when she first saw Alvin again. It wasn't like that between them anymore. She had a boyfriend – sort of.

She still thought she needed a darker pink polish.

"Simon's been gone a long time." Jeannette said suddenly. "I'm starting to get worried."

"Where did he go, anyways?" Brittany hadn't thought to ask earlier – when he had left she had been trying to select just the right outfit to wear later – not that it mattered.

"He, uh, well…" Oh, no. Brittany knew that stutter. Jeannette was hiding something.

"Jeannette?"

"Yes?" Jeannette looked at her guiltily.

"Spill it."

"Uh, spill what?"

"Jeannette, I know you're keeping something from me." Brittany narrowed her eyes. "It's about Simon, isn't it? Where did he go?"  
"I don't-"

"Jeannette!"

Jeannette sighed in defeat. "Okay, okay!"

"So…?"  
"He went out to check out a few addresses I found that might be where Alvin's been staying."

Brittany sat up sharply, nails forgotten. "What? Without us?"  
"He didn't want to get Theodore's hopes up." Jeannette tried to explain, but Brittany waved her away. "Yeah, but-"

The door slammed open and both Chippettes jumped. "Don't bother unpacking." Simon said, storming into the room. "We're leaving first thing in the morning."

"What?!" Brittany said incredulously. Simon didn't answer, he just stomped off to the door that adjoined their rooms.

"Simon!" Jeannette was up and following him in a flash. "What happened? Did you find Alvin?"

"Oh, I found him all right." Brittany thought she had never seen Simon so angry. "Found him and lost him." He threw a piece of crumpled paper in the trash. "It would have been better if you had never found him, Jeannette."

"Lost him?" Brittany asked, her heart sinking. "What do you mean, lost him?"

"I mean he's refusing to come home, Brittany." Simon seemed to be actually shaking with rage. "He hasn't changed at all. He's still the same egotistical, selfish, bratty-"

"Simon, calm down." As Jeannette tried to soothe her boyfriend, Brittany inched towards the wastebasket. They didn't seem to notice.

"Calm down?" Simon said. "How on earth am I supposed to calm down?"

Brittany snatched the crumpled paper out of the wastebasket.

"Just breathe." Jeannette said.

Simon looked at her, the anger draining from his face, only to be replaced by a look of intense worry. "Oh, Jeannette. What am I going to tell Theodore?"

Neither of them noticed Brittany slipping out the door. Once safely out, she uncrumpled the slip of paper and looked at it. Six addresses were listed on it, all of them crossed out with pen except the last one. Brittany felt determination fill her.

She hadn't come all this way just to leave without Alvin.

**End of part 12**


	13. Chapter 13

I'm sorry about the delays on chapters 13 and 14, but 's upload ability has been down quite a bit so I haven't been able to update. I hope I haven't lost too many readers!

Everyone's reviews have really kept me motivated to keep writing. (especially Atomos, Fairie-kittie, and RavenChild!) Thank you all so much for the compliments!

I have had so much fun writing this…and I can't tell you how much it means that people are enjoying it. Thanks!

Pyxelle

**Chapter 13**

Eleanor placed the steaming cup of soup and small bowl of strawberry jello next to Theodore's bed. "Theodore." She said, shaking him ever so gently. "Theodore, its time to get up. You need to eat something."

He answered her with a groan. "I'm not hungry. Didn't we just eat?"

"Theodore, that was yesterday." Eleanor reminded him as he began to wake up. "Most people eat every day. Several times every day, in fact."

"I know." Theodore yawned, pushing himself up slightly on his pillows. "I just kind of thought we'd be putting this whole eating thing, well, on hold for a few days, considering the trip and all."

"Nope." Eleanor tried to smile at him, but the resigned look Theodore gave the small cups made it difficult for her to force her spirits up. "Come on, its just one-half cup of vegetable broth and a little jello."

"You wouldn't believe how much that sounds like. Might as well be three Thanksgiving dinners." Despite his words, he accepted the cup of broth with a sigh. He sipped – a tiny, tiny sip. "Can you hand me my glasses?"

"Sure." She did so, and he slipped the green-tinted lenses on his face gratefully.

"Where's Simon?"  
"I don't know." Eleanor said. "He went out a few hours ago."

Theodore looked concerned. "Didn't he tell anyone where he was going?"

Honestly, Eleanor hadn't asked. She had been lost in her own thoughts, and had barely realized Simon had left. "He talked to Jeannette, I think."

"Oh," Theodore put the cup down. "Maybe we should-"

"_After_ we eat." Eleanor picked the cup back up and put it into Theodore's hands.

Theodore sighed. "Okay, okay." He took another tiny swallow.

"Thank you." Eleanor picked up her own bowl of soup – clam chowder as opposed to Theodore's broth – and began to eat. They sat in silence for a few moments.

"So when is Simon going to start looking for Alvin?" Theodore asked.

"I'm not sure. Probably not until tomorrow. We all need some rest."

Theodore frowned at her. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Only a few hours."

"Oh." He sipped the broth. Eleanor was glad to see that nearly a fourth of it was actually gone. "Do you think Simon will be here soon?" He squirmed uncomfortably.

"I don't know." Eleanor looked at him strangely. "Do you want to get out of bed? They delivered the hoyer about an hour ago, so I can help you. You seem a little uncomfortable."

"No! Not yet, at least." Theodore couldn't conceal his panic from her. Eleanor sighed. Not this again.

"Theodore, I thought we agreed you weren't going to lie to me anymore."  
"I don't want to, really, Eleanor…" Theodore seemed on the verge of tears. "But…"

"Just tell me." Eleanor said wearily. She didn't know how much more of this she could take. All sorts of revelations had been afforded to her over the last few days, and she was beginning to feel as if she was overloading. "Please, Theodore."

"I, um, well…" His voice actually broke, and abruptly Eleanor knew what was wrong.

"You need to be changed, don't you?" She asked as gently as she could. A tear ran down Theodore's face.

"Yes. Simon must have forgotten before he left, he never forgets, not usually, but he must have. It usually takes more than a few hours for me to need his help, but…" Theodore held his hands up helplessly.

"It's all right, Theodore." Eleanor didn't really feel that way. Simon had glossed over this part during their conversations, obviously sensing Eleanor's embarrassment. She thought that Simon had probably planned on making sure he was back every few hours to perform this particular chore. Eleanor wondered what he could be doing that was so important that he had forgotten. "I'll help you."

"No." A second tear joined the first. "I'll wait, Eleanor. Simon will be back soon, I'm sure."

Eleanor shook her head, standing and searching the room visually for supplies. "Theodore, we don't know when Simon will be back. We can't leave you sitting in it."

"Eleanor-"

"Where do you keep everything?"

Theodore didn't answer but his eyes darted involuntarily to a blue duffel bag on the dresser beside him. He shook his head as Eleanor began to pull out the wipes and _Attends._ "Please, Eleanor, just wait for Simon, I'll be fine, really."

"Theodore, I'm not going to risk your skin breaking down because you're embarrassed." Eleanor said firmly, trying to remain clinical. It was good that she was an excellent actress, because she certainly didn't feel that way inside. "It'll be over before you know it. Just pretend I'm Simon or your nurse, Elise."

"I-"

"I'll help you roll over, and please, Theodore, bear with me. I've never done this before." Theodore didn't say anything, but complied.

He was soaked. Luckily nothing had gotten on the bed, but it took a few moments to clean him up. All throughout the process Theodore's body shook softly as he sobbed almost silently. Eleanor had to bite her lip to keep from joining him.

It was probably only a few minutes before she was done, but it had felt like hours. "All done." She said, pulling the blankets back up over him. She could tell that he wanted to pull them all the way over his head and hide. "I need to throw this away. I'll be right back."

Eleanor almost ran to the bathroom. At least she managed to get there before her own tears began to flow. She tossed the garbage into the plastic-lined can and then started to wash her hands, her vision blurry as teardrops as well as water rinsed the soap from her fingers.

She didn't know what she was going to do. She loved Theodore, she knew that. And despite their earlier fight, she knew he loved her. But she really hadn't realized… how much would her life be changed? What parts of her dreams would die in order for her love to live? She'd _known_ how much help Theodore still needed…would always need…but she hadn't _understood_ it, not until the past few days. She'd thought she could handle it.

Now she wasn't so sure.

This was _not_ the way she had expected to see her boyfriend nude for the first time. The humiliation he must have felt…the embarrassment she still felt…it was overwhelming…and eye opening. _This_ was the future she had to expect for herself with Theodore. Not romantic nights ending in a midnight's dream of passion, but nights of caring for him, their interactions limited by his disabilities and their mutual discomfort.

Eleanor glanced up and stared at her reflection in the mirror. She looked tired. There was a graveness to her face that she was unaccustomed to seeing in herself. But it was still the same face…the same girl who had loved a certain Chipmunk since she had met him over ten years ago. The same face that Theodore had seen moments after awakening from his coma. The same girl that just days ago had sworn to him that she would never leave him.

Fate could be cruel. Eleanor was sixteen. Theodore was going to celebrate his seventeenth birthday in just a few months. Neither of them deserved what fate had wrought for them. But sometimes you just had to thumb your nose at Fate and tell her that no matter what, your will was greater. You had to tell her that even when she laughs in your face and sends you adversities beyond belief, you would still be stronger than her and would face them all with your head held high.

Eleanor wiped the tears from her face. Nothing had changed in the last few days except for the very explicit life lessons due to her for months. She still couldn't imagine life without Theodore.

She returned to his room with a new sense of determination. Theodore lay in bed, his eyes closed tightly, and she smiled a little. "Theodore, I know you're awake. You're not fooling anyone."

"I'm tired."

"Too bad." Eleanor sat back down. Theodore opened his eyes and looked at her, his face distraught.

"Eleanor, please-"

"I don't want to be a nurse." Eleanor interrupted.

Theodore winced. "I…I understand, Eleanor."

Eleanor shook her head. "No, I don't think you do, Theodore." She reached out and took his hand. "I don't want to be a nurse, but I'll _never_ be your nurse. A nurse will take care of someone because it's their job. I'll take care of you…because you take care of me. Because that's what people who love each other do."

"Take care of you? I can't even take care of myself!"

Eleanor put his hand over her heart. "You're thinking about only the physical, Theodore. You take care of my heart."

Theodore looked at her, stunned. "But Eleanor, what about-"

"What about what? Kids? Well, if we can't have our own, we'll adopt. Our future? The future isn't written in stone, Theodore. Who knows? Simon always is talking about the medical advances that might help you someday, Theodore. Who's to say that day might not be tomorrow? Fate _can_ be cruel…" Eleanor said, smiling at him gently, "but fate can also be kind."

"Eleanor-"

"Shhh." She touched his lips gently with her finger. "I love you. I love you more than anything in this whole wide world. Is _anything_ worth throwing that away?"

Theodore didn't answer. Then, with a strength that surprised her, he grabbed her and pulled her down to him for the most passionate kiss they had ever shared. How long they stayed locked in that embrace, she didn't know, but they were still intertwined when Simon and Jeannette burst into the room.

"Theodore, I-" Simon stopped dead.

Eleanor stood quickly as Theodore released her. "Uh, hi, guys."

"Hi." Simon seemed at a loss for words. "It looks like you two made up, huh?"  
Eleanor smiled at Theodore brilliantly. That kiss was making her re-evaluate her earlier thoughts about the lack of passion they would have. "Yes, I think we did."

"Yeah," Theodore blushed, his customary response when Simon would catch them even doing something so innocent as holding hands. "I think we did, too."

"That's good." Simon said, and then he looked at Eleanor. "Um, I forgot to help Theodore earlier, so could we have a little privacy?"

"It's okay, Simon." Theodore said. "Eleanor just took care of it."

Simon looked at Eleanor in astonishment, and then back to Theodore. "Are you…okay with that?"

"Well, I'd still prefer if you'd help me, but…yeah."

Simon, again, seemed at a loss for words. Jeannette just seemed confused. "Okay with what?" She asked.

"Nothing." Eleanor told her quickly. Jeannette opened her mouth, but Theodore spoke before she got the chance.

"Would you guys mind? Eleanor and I were kind of having a private dinner."

"Dinner?" Simon glanced at the table and grinned. "You're eating…again?"

"Yes." Theodore smiled at Eleanor. "Would you pass me my soup, please? I think I'm hungry."

OooooOooooO

Brittany looked at the address on the slip, then back at the dilapidated building in front of her. This couldn't have been where Alvin was living. It was so…so…so icky. But it was the address on the list, so she stepped up the stairs gingerly, thinking to herself that as long as she didn't _touch_ anything, she'd be fine.

The stairs were narrow as she walked up to the third story, and she had to fight a mild claustrophobia. Room 302. That's all she had to get to. When she got there, however, she found the door open and apparently no one at home.

"Alvin?" She called, stepping in. The room was nearly bare. It was an efficiency apartment, with a bathroom being the only other room, and on the small bed she could see a familiar suitcase with the initials AS on it. She walked into the room, excited. Yes! This had to be it. "Alvin?"

There was no answer. He must not be at home. From the purse she wore on her shoulder, she drew a red cap. It was the one she had found the night Alvin had run away. She had cleaned it and, although she had never told Gavin, had carried it in her over-large purse ever since. Finally, she was going to get the chance to return it.

Brittany sat on the bed for a moment before her restlessness overcame her. She stood, cap still in hand, and started to look around the apartment. There wasn't much to be seen, as either Alvin had lived very simply or he had packed everything already, but she did notice a cd of _Brittany and the Chippettes – Miss You Forever_. She smiled. He had bought their latest album! The smile faded as she realized it was still in its' shrink-wrap. What, he hadn't even listened to it yet?

"Theo, I told you to lock this door! Until you get into a better neighborhood-"

Brittany turned to see another young Chipmunk girl standing in the doorway. Her hair was blue, and although she wore the most abominable fuchsia eye shadow Brittany could tell that she was actually quite attractive. "Oh, I'm sorry." The punk Chipmunk said in a clipped British accent. "Are you a friend of Theo's?"

"Theo?" Brittany said before she remembered that 'Theo Miller' had been the name Alvin had assumed. "Oh, yes. I'm a friend of his…from way back."

"Oh. Nice to meet you." The punk Chipmunk offered her hand.

Brittany took it with narrowed eyes. "And you are…?"  
"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Isabelle Fuerte." She offered. "I'm…well, I'm kind of Theo's girlfriend."

"Kind of?" Jealousy threatened to turn Brittany's eyes green.

"Well, its not official, yet, but…" Isabelle looked at her curiously. "You look familiar. Have we met?"

"No, I don't think so." Brittany said shortly. "Not official?"

"Well, we're moving to Paris together, but-"

"_Moving to Paris!" _Brittany nearly screeched. "What do you mean, he's moving to Paris!"

"He hasn't told you?" Isabelle looked at her curiously…and then her eyes widened. "Oh bloody hell…you're the girl, aren't you? The girl!"

"Girl? What girl?" Brittany had no idea what the British tramp was talking about.

"The girl he can't let go of…" If possible, Isabelle's eyes widened even further. "And…I know who you are."

Uh-oh. "I'm just-"

"_You're Brittany Miller!"_ Without warning, Alvin's new 'girlfriend' was hugging her tightly. "Oh, my god! You really are!"

"You…must…be…mistaken." Brittany managed to gasp out.

"No, I have all your albums!" Isabelle said, releasing her. "I'd recognize you anywhere!" She calmed a little. "But…what are you doing here?" She frowned. "And how do you know Theo?"

"I-"

"Belle, is that you?" Alvin stepped into the room. "I'm sorry I'm late, but-"

Brittany could do little more than stare at him as he froze. "Brittany?" He said, his voice strengthless. "Brittany?"

"Alvin? Is it really you?"

"Alvin?" Isabelle said, her voice confused. Neither of them paid her any notice.

"What are you doing here?"

"Eleanor, Jeannette and I are all staying at the Palace with Simon and Theodore, Alvin."

"All of you?" Alvin sat down on the bed as if his legs had given way beneath him. "All of you?"

"Alvin? Simon? Theodore?" Isabelle seemed utterly confused. "Theo, what's going on?"

In the recesses of her mind, Brittany felt sorry for the young British Chipmunk, but she had other things to worry about. "Of course we came with, Alvin. We've been so worried about you…" Suddenly Brittany remembered the English tart beside her. "But obviously, you haven't given one thought to us…"

Isabelle looked at Alvin in confusion. "Theo, what in bloody hell-"

"I'll explain later, Belle." Alvin said almost absently, and then turned his attention back to Brittany. "I don't-"

"Is it true you refused to come home, Alvin?" Brittany demanded. "Simon was about ready to punch holes in the wall."

"I can't come home, Brittany." Alvin said.

Isabelle just kept staring at the male Chipmunk. "Alvin? Why does she keep calling you that, Theo?"

"Oh, you can't, right?" Brittany shot back. "Why not? Because Theodore might blame you that he's in a wheelchair? Well…news flash! He doesn't! All he does is worry Eleanor's ear off every night about how much he wants you to come home. And Simon? Did you know he jeopardized his medical career to come to London looking for you?" A bit of an overstatement…all right, a full out lie, but for a good cause. "Do you care about that, Alvin?"

"I-"

"Or do you care about me? I _told_ you the night you left that I loved you…and you still left! Doesn't it matter to you that people care about you?"

"Alvin!" Isabelle finally shouted. Both Brittany and Alvin jumped. "Alvin and Brittany…that's what was always…I mean…" She trailed off, looking at Alvin in shock. "…Theo?"  
"I'm sorry, Belle, really…" Alvin's apology to the tart only made Brittany angrier.

"You're sorry to her? To _her!_ After all you've done to the rest of us, how can you…what makes you think that…" Brittany couldn't contain her anger. She slapped him, hard. "How dare you disrespect me…disrespect Eleanor, Simon, Jeannette, and _Theodore_ by apologizing to some English _TART_ that doesn't deserve the air we breathe!"

"Hey!" Isabelle protested.

Brittany didn't care. "I hope you're happy, Alvin." She said, throwing the red cap she had prized for so many months on his bed. "Because this was the last chance you had. The last chance for you to be the man…the _Chipmunk_ you once promised to be."

Brittany paused as she stormed out the door. "I don't know why I expected anything more of you."

And she was gone.

**End of part 13**

Please review!!


	14. Chapter 14

Everyone's reviews have really kept me motivated to keep writing. (Especially Atomos, Fairie-kittie, and RavenChild!) Thank you all so much for the compliments!

Raven Child, thanks for recommending me to others. I appreciate it more than you know. I don't have a lot of fanfic buddies yet, but as soon as I do, I will definitely point them towards your fics.

SilverRider, I am just starting to read your stuff too. Thanks so much for taking the time to read mine!

One last thing…I've updated my profile page, so if anyone wants to see it or see a picture of me, that's the page to check out!

So (finally) to the story….

This has a little mild profanity (not much) but be forewarned.

**Chapter 14**

"Just let's give it a few more days."

Simon shook his head at Theodore, wincing at the despondent look on his brother's face. "It's no use, Theodore. He doesn't _want_ to come home."

"Maybe if I talked to him…" Theodore looked at him hopefully. "I might be able to change his mind."

Simon wished he could believe that. But he didn't want for Theodore to have to be hurt the way he himself had when he had confronted Alvin. "It's not going to help. At least this way we might be able to get home before Dave even realizes we've been gone."

"We _can't_ just give up!" Theodore said, and Simon wished there wasn't such desperation in the younger Chipmunk's voice. Damn Alvin for putting them through this.

"We don't have much choice." Simon said. Brittany's return and subsequent retelling of what had transpired between her and Alvin clinched it. Alvin had put all of them behind him, that much was clear. "He's not who he used to be, Theodore. I don't even know _who_ he is anymore."

"He's still our brother." Theodore said.

"He's the world's biggest jerk, that's what he is." Brittany said. She had been seething ever since her return. "He's a piece of two-timing sea scum that just happens to walk and talk and look a little like someone we used to know."

"Brittany, please." Jeannette said. "That's enough."

"But, Simon, we can't just leave him here. Not after searching for him for so long." Theodore said.

"He'll come home if he wants to, Theodore. We can't force him."

Simon's heart ached to see Theodore virtually deflate. "Then it was all for nothing."

"Not for nothing, Theodore." Eleanor held his hand gently. "He knows we still care, now. Maybe he just needs some time."

"He's been gone for months, Eleanor. I don't think time is going to help."

Simon wished he had some encouraging words for Theodore and the others, but he didn't. He honestly couldn't think of anything he could do that might make things better. He just wanted to get home. "Brittany?"

"What?"

"How long will it take to get another plane?"

Brittany shrugged. "I reserved the one we used before for a week. We can leave anytime we want."

Simon grimaced at the thought of what that would be costing them, but Brittany had been right earlier – they could afford it. "Then I suggest we all take a bit of a nap, and then lets head home."

"But what about Alvin?" Theodore tried one last time.

Simon sighed. "He knows where we live, Theodore. When he's ready to come home, he will."

In his heart of hearts, though, Simon doubted he would.

OoooOoooO

"I think you have some explaining to do…Alvin."

Alvin looked at Isabelle sickly. "I do?"

"Oh, you most certainly do, luv." Isabelle crossed her arms in front of her and stared at him. "And no more evasiveness. I knew you had secrets, but this goes far, far beyond that."

"I…" Alvin sat on his bed. "I don't know where to start."

"Try at the beginning." Isabelle told him. "That's usually the best place to start."

And so that's what Alvin did. He started when Dave had first found them on his doorstep in the middle of the biting cold of winter, and how his surrogate father took them in and raised them as his own sons. He spoke of the crazy escapades he, his brothers, and occasionally the Chippettes would get involved in, fully admitting that ninety percent of the time it was his fault that those things would happen. He remembered some memories fondly, such as the time that they had made a disastrous attempt at selling cookies to earn money for Dave's birthday presents. Others weren't as pleasing – such as the time that Theodore had been turned into a werewolf and for a short time he had thought he would have to possibly even kill his little brother.

It was as if some invisible barrier had come crashing down, and the stories flowed until the early hours of the morning. Isabelle listened attentively but didn't make more than a few comments here and there. He got to the part where Theodore had been struck by the car, and while describing his own involvement his voice cracked more than once. When he at last finished, she sat there with him in silence for a few moments.

"Wow." She said. "When you had said you'd had enough adventure, I didn't believe you. Now I can't believe I didn't."

"I wasn't lying."

"I see that." Isabelle was quiet for a moment. "Theo…I mean, Alvin…do you think that Theodore blames you for the accident?"

"Honestly?" Alvin shook his head. "No. Theodore has the biggest heart of anyone I've ever known."

"I heard what Brittany said…about how much he misses you." Isabelle said quietly. "Is it possible that _you_ are the only thing holding you back from going home?"

"It doesn't matter if Theodore forgives me, Belle." Alvin told her. "I can't forgive myself."

"At the risk of stepping outside my bounds, but you're full of shit, Theo."

Alvin was so surprised that he didn't even correct her on the name. "What?"

"Maybe what Simon said was true. It seems to me that this whole 'running away' business has been so that _you_ would feel better, and so _you_ wouldn't have to deal with the consequences of your actions." She looked at him critically. "I'd have to say that Simon was right – you're being awfully selfish."

"Belle, I can't risk hurting them again!" Alvin desperately wanted her to understand, but she just shook her head.

"No, I think you don't want to risk hurting _you._ They want you back in their lives, Theo…Alvin. It won't be easy. But they _need_ you. How can you deny your family that?"

"They don't need me. They're better off without me."

"I'm going to hit you if you don't stop doing the doomsayer bit." Isabelle warned. "Your family obviously loves and misses you. Why else would they have come all the way to London? Its not that short a hop across the pond, you know." She reached over and held his hand. "If they were so much better off without you, why did they cross half the earth to find you?"

"I…I don't know."

"And then…. Brittany." It was obvious that this was a sore subject for Isabelle. "She's the girl you loved, isn't she? Of course she is." Isabelle answered her own question. "As pathetic as it sounds, I've been following your relationship for years. Ever since your first duet and appearance on MTV."

Alvin didn't know quite what to say to that. He had gotten used to a life without being a superstar. "Yes, she's 'the girl.'"

"You're just going to let her go? It took courage to come here looking for you. She loves you, Alvin." Isabelle smiled at her, but there were tears in her eyes. "And you love her. I know that better than anyone."

"Belle, I care about you a lot, too." Alvin tried to reassure her, but the British Chipmunk just shook her head.

"No, not the way you care about Brittany. You said it yourself. You're soul-mates." She kissed him then, softly on the lips, a chaste kiss that spoke of friendship and nothing more. "Don't throw that away. Do you know how rare it is for two people to love each other in that way? How very special it is?"

Alvin thought. He had spent the last seven months running, not thinking about his life or where he was headed to. Maybe it was because he couldn't imagine life without Simon, Theodore, or Brittany…maybe he was running because a future without them was too frightening to contemplate. He sighed. "Belle, even if I wanted to, she wouldn't have me now. Not after the way I treated her."

"You'd be surprised. If you handled it the right way…she feels the same way, Alvin. I'm sure of it."

"I don't even know where to find her, Belle. She could be anywhere in London."

"Weren't you listening?" Belle said. "She said they were at the Palace."

Alvin frowned. "Buckingham Palace?"

Isabelle actually laughed. "No, knucklehead. The Palace _Hotel_, I'm sure."

Alvin glanced at the clock. 6:13 A.M. "Don't you think its too early to-?"

Isabelle laughed. "Trust me, its never to early to declare your undying love for someone." She reached over and grabbed the red cap that lay forgotten on his bed. "And it's never too late to realize who you really are."

Alvin stared at the cap for a moment, the memories threatening to bowl him over. He had never gone anywhere without that cap until the accident. It had been a part of his identity – a part that since then he had denied.

Maybe it was time to stop denying his past and time to finally start dealing with it.

He crammed the hat on his head, a familiar look of mischievousness spreading on his features. "You're right, Belle."

"Of course I'm right." Isabelle smiled, but there was sadness to it. "Haven't you figured out that the woman is always right?"

Alvin chose to ignore a few choice comments that came to mind. "I have one more favor to ask of you."

"Anything."

"Could you tell me where I could find the Palace Hotel?"

OoooOoooO

"Are you sure we can't wait a few more minutes?"

Simon sighed. "Theodore, our plane leaves at 7 am sharp. We don't have time."

"I know, but I just have this hunch…"

"Hunches have got us nowhere." Simon said a bit more harshly than he meant to. Theodore flinched. "I'm sorry, Theodore. But we really don't have the time."

"But-"

"If we wait any longer, we'll miss our flight."

"I thought we chartered a plane." Theodore pointed out.

"We did, but we still have to listen to air traffic control." Eleanor reminded him.

"Oh."

"Listen, I know you want to wait until Alvin miraculously shows up, but it ain't gonna happen." Brittany said roughly. "He's left us, ok? He doesn't care anymore."

"Brittany!" Jeannette sounded shocked.

Theodore sighed. "It's okay, Jeannette. I understand why she's angry. I just can't believe he'd really desert us."

"People change, Theodore." Eleanor told him tenderly. "We can't always control that."

"I know." Theodore steeled himself. "All right, then, we don't want to miss our flight."

"You sure?" Despite his earlier insistence on leaving, now that Theodore seemed to be relinquishing all hope Simon wasn't so certain any more.

"Yes." Theodore said, his voice firm. "We've done everything we can. It's up to Alvin now."

Simon took every bit of courage he had and put it into three words. "Let's go, then."

OoooOoooO

Alvin and Isabelle must have set a world record running from the slums to the ritzy Palace hotel. When they got there, they weren't exactly welcomed by the most hospitable committee.

The Palace Hotel barely gave Alvin pause, but Isabelle stopped dead in her tracks in awe as they entered. "Bloody hell, they really stayed here? It must have cost a fortune."

"I guess so." Alvin agreed, but his attention stayed on the clerk he practically ran to. He had been used to a certain amount of richness to his surroundings during his tours.

"Excuse me?" He said to the slim man behind the counter, his voice frantic. "I need to know the rooms that the Seville brothers and the Miller sisters are staying in."

"And you are?"

"A friend." Alvin was so used to using an alias that it never even occurred to him to try and use his real name.

"I'm sorry, but I am only authorized to give that information to family members or authorized personnel. If you would like to leave a fan letter-"

"No, I do _not_ want to leave a fan letter! I'm Al-"

"He's Theo Miller." Belle interrupted, giving Alvin a warning look. "Brittany's cousin."

"Really." The clerk said haughtily, looking at Alvin's black turtleneck and dark blue ripped jeans with the same disdain as he did Isabelle's blue hair and day-glo orange mesh tank top. "Do you have I.D.?"

Thank goodness Isabelle had been a quick thinker…he no longer had any identification proving him to be Alvin Seville, but he _did _have a visa in the name of Theo Miller. The clerk inspected it for a moment critically, and then handed it back. "I'm sorry, Mr. Miller. They left for the airport only moments ago. I'm afraid you missed them. I believe they're heading back to America."

"America?" Alvin visibly deflated. "How long ago?"

"Their limo left about fifteen minutes ago, I believe."

Alvin looked utterly defeated. "I'm too late."

Isabelle appeared about ready to slap him. "You're kidding, right? It was only fifteen minutes ago, Theo…I mean, Alvin." She sounded frustrated. "That's going to take some getting used to. Anyways –"

"You're right!" Alvin said excitedly. "If we hurry, we might be able to meet them at the airport!" He ran out the door, shouting behind him, "Thank you!"

Isabelle was quickly after him. "Thanks, sir!" She yelled as politely as she could, considering she was screaming it over her shoulder.

Coming to a skidding stop on the streets outside, Alvin looked around wildly for a cab. He saw none. "Great." He said in frustration. "Maybe if we go inside, we can ask the host-"

"No time." Isabelle opened the door to a small convertible that was parked just a few feet away. "This'll get us there."

He looked at her in confusion. "But, Belle, that's not our car, and besides, we don't have any keys-"

The engine revved into life. "I don't need keys." Isabelle said with a grin. Alvin just looked at her in astonishment. "Hey, you're not the only one who's kept secrets."

"Oh, yeah?" Alvin said as he hopped into the black convertible. "Whatever happened to 'I've told you everything about myself?'"

Isabelle took off, tires squealing. "You're not the only one who lied about a few things, either."

OoooOoooO

"All strapped in, Theodore?"

"Yes, Simon, I'm fine." Theodore was a little drowsy again, as both Eleanor and Simon had insisted he take his pain meds before the flight. This time he hadn't fought them on it. "Everyone else strapped…I mean settled?"

Simon glanced at Brittany, struggling with her last carry on bag. "Almost. The plane should be taking off in about ten minutes." He paused. "If Brittany can get all her things on by then."

"Well, if someone would help me, it wouldn't be taking so long." Brittany shot back at him. "I packed for two weeks…not two days."

"It looks like she packed for two months." Simon said quietly to Theodore so that Brittany couldn't hear. Theodore laughed softly, and Simon sighed. "But, if we want to make it on time, I'd better help her."

Theodore watched his brother assist the Chippette with her many heavy pink carry-on bags. Brittany had been even more snappish than usual since her run-in with Alvin, and honestly, Theodore couldn't blame her. He didn't know how he would have handled it if his brother had treated him that way, either. But Theodore still believed that he might have been able to talk Alvin into coming home…however unlikely Simon thought that might have been. And he still had this hunch…if they could just wait a little longer…maybe Alvin would come to his senses. Maybe Alvin _would_ come home.

But Simon was through with hunches, and honestly, after hearing how Alvin had treated his older brother, Theodore's faith in him was wavering. It wasn't gone – no matter what, he would never give up on his brothers – but there was a seed of doubt that he couldn't deny.

No matter how much he wished it not to be so, in the deepest darkest recesses of his heart, he was beginning to think that he would never see brother Alvin again.

OoooOoooO

The ticket lady was less than helpful.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Miller, but those records are restricted." She told him primly. She was an elderly lady who had her stone-gray hair pulled back so tightly it actually gave the illusion of a facelift. "I am not allowed to release _any_ information on the passenger lists for _any _flight – no matter who you claim to be."

Alvin had to restrain a scream. "Okay, okay. Can you just tell me what flights are leaving for the states anytime soon? Maybe I can just meet them at the gate…if I can find them."  
"I can't-"

"Please, Miss Underwood, is it?" Isabelle smiled prettily at her. "We're not asking for confidential information. Just a list of current flights."

Miss Underwood wavered for a moment. "All right." She finally said. She began to list off a staggering number of flights heading out of the London area to the United States. When she had finished, both Alvin and Isabelle looked totally dejected.

"Oh, great, we're never going to find my brothers – or Brittany – now." Alvin said. "There's no way we can check all those out before they leave."

Miss Underwood seemed to be struggling with something. "Well…"she said, tapping her fingers nervously and glancing around. "There is one more flight leaving for the U.S., but it's a chartered flight and I don't know too much about it."

Chartered? That would be just like Brittany! Even first class seats wouldn't be good enough for her. "What gate? I promise, I won't ask any more questions, if you'll only tell me what gate."

Miss Underwood looked around again, furtively. "I will, on one condition."

"Anything." Alvin promised.

She handed him a blank sheet of paper. "Sign this. I know who you are, and why you need to use aliases, but it would mean the world to my, uh, niece…"

"No problem." Alvin signed his name with a flourish. "And if you give me your name, I'll make sure Simon and Theodore send you signed photos, too. The Chippettes will too, if I can get them to."

"Really?" The ticket lady wrote down her address quickly, and below it added the words _Gate 57_. "Just don't let anyone know where you learned that. Please."

Isabelle mimed zipping her lips shut. "You're secret's safe with us."

Miss Underwood glanced at the clock. "You better hurry. Their plane is scheduled to leave in only five minutes."

"Then we'll hurry." Alvin assured her, grabbing Isabelle's hand and running off towards Gate 57 at a frantic speed. "Thank you!"

"It was lovely meeting you!' Miss Underwood shouted after them, clutching her signed paper to her breast.

Alvin barely heard her. At one time a fan would have captivated his attention for hours, but now there were more important things on his mind.

He had to find that plane. This could be his last chance to be reunited with Simon, Theodore, and…. and Brittany.

OoooOoooO

"_All systems ready to go. Please fasten your seatbelts during takeoff_." The pilot said over the loudspeaker.

"Like we didn't already think of that." Brittany said bitterly as she double-checked her harness. " I do _not_ plan to die like some music starlet who crashed in some stupid flight for no good reason at all."

"We wouldn't want _that_ to happen." Simon muttered. Brittany had always gotten on his nerves, but the last day or so Simon had daydreamed about throttling her more than once. Only his own sympathetic frustration kept him from doing so. He knew only too well what she was going through. Alvin had upset him just as much, and a strange as it seemed, he felt an odd sort of kinship with the self-centered Chippette. "I'm sure everything is going to be fine."

"Fine? After this wasted trip that will probably get me banned from prom?" Brittany seemed unable to get a hold of herself. "The thought of Miss Miller killing me was bad enough, but for her to kill me when I come home _empty-handed_ is almost more than I can bear."

"Uh, Brittany." Jeannette said then, worry in her voice. "You _did _leave her a note saying that we were at the Brown sisters for a few nights, didn't you?"

"Am I expected to do _everything_ around here?" Brittany asked, exasperated. "I thought Eleanor was going to take care of Miss Miller."

"Brittany, I was with Simon." Eleanor reminded her. "I was getting a quick course on how to care for Theodore.. When was I supposed to call?"

"I don't know…it'd couldn't have been that complicated.. "Brittany looked from Eleanor to Jeannette, the to Eleanor again.. "Okay, Eleanor, you're off the hook. Jeanette must have left a letter."

"Uh, Brittany, I wasn't really thinking about getting in trouble." Jeannette admitted. "I just wanted to find Alvin."

"Oh, wonderful." Brittany said sarcastically. "So now we're going home to be grounded for the rest of our lives."

_"The plane will be taking off in one minute, passengers. Enjoy your flight."_

"It's too late now, " Eleanor said. "We did what we came here to do. We failed."

"But how can we give up hope?" Theodore asked.

Simon hated to say it, but he had to. "On the night you had your accident, I was sure I had lost a brother. They gave you a two percent chance of survival. A miracle happened – you survived."

Simon looked down. "But we lost a brother all the same."

OoooOoooO

Gate 57 seemed to be miles away, but Alvin and Isabelle reached it in just minutes. Alvin thought his lungs were going to burst – he had never run so fast in his life.

"Miss…Miss!" He managed to gasp out when they reached the counter. "Can you help me, please?"

"Yes, sir?" The young blonde nodded, that perpetually false smile that all stewardesses seemed to have locked on her face. "How can I help you?"

"The plane leaving Gate 57…the one that the Sevilles and Millers chartered…"Alvin was having trouble catching his breath, much less keeping his voice calm. "Where's the boarding area?"

"I'm sorry, sir." The blonde put on a carefully rehearsed expression of regret. "You just missed it. See?" She pointed to the large wall-window. Beyond it, a small but obviously expensive jet was pulling away.

Alvin watched as his life taxied away on the runway. "I'm too late." He whispered. He felt a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"You're still thinking like Theo Miller, _Alvin."_ Isabelle said. "I thought Theo was gone now. And believe it or not, I remember enough about what Alvin Seville was like to know that he would never let something so minor as this stop him from getting what he wanted. Alvin Seville would never give up so easily."

"He wouldn't, would he?" Alvin said, smiling slowly. "_I_ wouldn't." A mischievous twinkle appeared in his eye. "Come on, Belle, I have an idea."

"Idea?" Isabelle looked wary. "What kind of an idea?"

Alvin grinned and said three words that had once been a sure indicative that he had some sort of scheme brewing.

"Just trust me."

**End of Part 14**

**Reviews still appreciated!**


	15. Chapter 15

Everyone's reviews have really kept me motivated to keep writing. (especially Atomos, Fairie-kittie, and RavenChild!) Thank you all so much for the compliments!

I have had so much fun writing this…and I can't tell you how much it means that people are enjoying it. Thanks!

Pyxelle 

**Chapter 15**

"Do you think Dave's home yet?"

Simon shook his head. "He's not due home until tomorrow, so if we're lucky, he'll never even know we were gone."

"That's good, I suppose." Theodore said without much life in his voice. "At least we won't get in trouble."

Simon opened the door to their house and wished that he could do something to cheer Theodore up. They had just dropped off the Chippettes, and even Eleanor hadn't been able to raise Theodore's spirits, so Simon doubted he would have much more luck. "Let's just get unpacked and get you into bed."

"Okay, I guess." Theodore said. "Would you mind helping me into bed before you unpack? I think I want to go to sleep."

"Sure, I'll meet you in there. Just let me grab the bags from the car."

"Okay." Theodore said as he wheeled himself to their downstairs bedroom. Simon ran out to the van and quickly finished unloading it. When he came back in, Theodore was still sitting in the doorway to their room, his bulky chair blocking Simon's way in.

"Theodore? I kind of need you to move if I'm going to be able to get this stuff put away."

"Simon, you'd better look at this."

Simon dropped his things to the floor and peered over Theodore's shoulder. "What on earth?"

Their bedroom had been completely rearranged. Theodore's adaptive bed was still in its usual place, but nearly everything else had been moved to a new location. Simon's bed had been pushed closer to Theodore's and was now wedged up against the wall. Three dressers lined one side of the room, when there had only been two when Simon and Theodore had left. But most confusing of all was the wall that until today had been virtually empty. A single bed rested in front of it, covered in a red and white-checkered comforter, and posters of a few famous rock bands were taped to the wall above it. Two red caps hung from hooks on the wall, and a guitar case leaned against the bed.

"I hope you guys don't mind that I moved my stuff downstairs by you. The upstairs bedroom looked really lonely with just my things in it."

Simon spun around, not believing his ears. "Alvin?"

Alvin stood there, hands in his pockets, still wearing the ripped blue jeans and black turtleneck but also sporting his signature red cap. He smiled a little. "It is all right, isn't it?"

Simon's answer to that was to pull him into his arms and crush him into a hug – and this time Alvin returned the embrace just as tightly. Alvin was home! Finally Simon released him. "Whoa, Alvin." He said, a smile threatening to split his face in two. "Enough with the lethal hugging, okay?"

Alvin laughed a little, the relief apparent in his voice. "Sure, Simon. No problem."

"Hey, guys? Guys?" Theodore's voice called excitedly. "I'm kinda stuck here in the doorway, if you haven't noticed. And lethal or not, I want a hug too!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Theodore!" Both Simon and Alvin backed away from the door, allowing Theodore to spin his chair around to face his brothers.

Theodore and Alvin just looked at each other for a moment. "Well?" Theodore finally said. "What about me?"

Alvin wasted no time bending over and holding his baby brother close. It wasn't as exuberant as the hug he had given Simon, but it was even more tender. "I've missed you, Theodore." Alvin whispered, and Simon could see Alvin trying to hold back tears. "I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you, too." Theodore's own tears were streaming down his face. "I thought I'd never see you again."

Alvin pulled away a little, smiling through the tears. "Nah. You should know that a bad penny will always turn up again."

Theodore laughed softly. "I guess it will, huh."

Alvin knelt next to Theodore's chair. "I have to tell you, Theodore. I am so sorry. So, so, sorry."

"Oh, Alvin. It wasn't your fault." Theodore looked at Alvin sadly. "You were the only one punishing yourself."

"If I hadn't left you there, if I hadn't been so selfish-"

"_It wasn't your fault_." Theodore said, more firmly this time. "It was an accident. The only thing I've ever blamed you for was for leaving me after the accident. I really needed you then."

"I just thought…"Alvin's voice cracked. "I just thought that you'd never be able to forgive me. And I didn't want to hurt you ever again."

"Of course I forgive you, Alvin." Theodore reached down to where his brother knelt and took his hand. "I'm just so glad to have my brother back. Life hasn't been the same without you."

Simon frowned suddenly. "Not that we're not glad to have you home – believe me, we are – but Theodore brings up an interesting question. How _did _you get here so fast? We left first thing in the morning, and we had a chartered flight…how on earth did you beat us home?"

Alvin stood. "Ever hear of the Concord?"

Simon slapped his head. "Of course!"

"The Concord?" Theodore asked. "What's that?"

"Only the fastest commercial plane ever made." Simon told him.

"Yeah, it was _so_ cool. You actually break the sound barrier, and since I was flying to the U.S., I actually got here _before_ I left London." There was awe in Alvin's voice. "It was amazing. Kind of like…time travel."

"Well, you certainly got a lot done when you got here. It couldn't have been easy moving all this stuff by yourself." Simon said.

"Uh, well…"Alvin suddenly looked guilty. "I kind of had some help."

"Help?" That look on Alvin's face always made Simon wary. "Whose help?"

"She's just going to be staying a little while, and I'm sure Dave won't mind…we have an extra room upstairs now, and without her help, I'd never have gotten home…"

"_Alvin!"_

"Okay, okay." He called out to the kitchen. "You can come out now. I'd like you to meet my brothers."

A young Chipmunk girl about their age entered the living room. Simon blinked at the blue hair and very revealing mesh shirt, but tried his best to put on a welcoming smile. "Uh, hi."

"Simon, Theodore, this is Isabelle." Alvin went over to her and grabbed her hand, pulling her reluctantly over to his brothers. "She's a friend from England, and well, she kind of needs a place to stay for a while."

"Hello," The Chipmunk girl said shyly, the expression strange on her face. "I've been a big fan of yours for years."

"Thanks, I guess." Simon said, puzzled. He looked at Alvin. "No offense to Isabelle, but why did she need to come here again?"

Alvin looked uncomfortable, and instead of feeling irritation with his brother like he usually would, Simon felt almost comforted. This was the way things were meant to be. "Well, we kinda needed a ride to the airport after we missed you at the hotel, but we didn't have a car, so Belle sorta, well, hot-wired this convertible that was outside the Palace Hotel–"

"She _what_?"

"It was for a good cause, Simon! We were trying to catch you before your plane took off. Which didn't work anyways, 'cause we got there just as you were leaving. So here we were, stuck at the airport with a stolen car, no money, and no way to get home. Belle and I had enough to get tickets to France, but do you realize how expensive the Concord tickets are? Yikes!"

"So just how exactly did you get the money for the tickets?"

Isabelle and Alvin shared a guilty look. "Well, Belle kinda knew this guy who didn't live too far from the airport and who doesn't look too deeply into where the stuff he buys is from, so we thought hey, we'll sell the car and use the money to buy tickets-"

"Sell the car? Alvin, that's going from joy-riding to thievery!"

"I took down the license plate number, Simon." Alvin defended himself. "I was planning sending back enough money to cover the full cost of the car." He hesitated. "But…"

"Your 'buts' are never good, Alvin." Theodore said.

"I know." Alvin sighed. "Well, while we were waiting for the flight I used one of those Internet terminals to look up the car's owner, right? So that as soon as I could get the people at the bank to _believe_ who I was, I could send them the money. Well, you are not going to believe who's car it was we'd stolen."

"You really won't." Isabelle agreed.

Simon sighed. "Whose car was it, Alvin?"

Alvin looked at him sheepishly. "Prince William Arthur Philip Louis's car – his eighteenth birthday present."

Simon looked at him in disbelief. "Are you telling me that you stole the _Crown Prince of England's car?!"_

Alvin laughed nervously. "Um, yeah."

"With my help." Isabelle offered, scooting a little behind Alvin. They both looked at Simon as if expecting some sort of retribution.

Simon looked at Alvin. He looked at Isabelle. He looked at Theodore. Theodore looked back at him, eyes inscrutable.

And then Simon and Theodore began to laugh. They laughed harder than they ever had in their whole lives.

"You…you stole…the _prince's_ car?" Theodore gasped for air. "Oh, Alvin, how on earth are you going to get out of this one?"

"And you!" Simon pointed at Isabelle, holding his stomach. "I don't know you, but if there ever was a female version of Alvin running around, you have got to be it. I can't believe…this is just…"And he was off into gales of laughter again.

"Hey!" Alvin said in indignation. "This isn't funny! Belle and I still haven't figured out how we're going to fix this!"

"It'll work out." Simon said, finally catching his breath. "That's the magic you have, Alvin. Somehow, it always works out."

"I wonder what the Queen of England is going to say about that." Alvin grumbled. "She's the one who gave it to him."

That only set Theodore and Simon off again. Alvin looked at them in disgust. "You guys are so supportive."

"Oh, Alvin," Theodore said, wiping a tear of laughter from his eye. "You know we'll always be here for you."

Alvin couldn't help smiling.

How true that was.

OoooOoooO

"Brittany?"

Brittany swiped her hand out at Jeannette from under her covers. "Go away, Jeannette. I'm still sleeping."

"Uh, Brittany, its after seven." Jeannette said. "That's seven p.m. You've been asleep for almost fifteen hours."

"Well, then, a few more won't really hurt, will it?" Brittany snuggled deeper into her pillow.

"But, Brittany, there's a delivery for you." Jeannette paused. "Actually, a couple of deliveries."

Delivery? Brittany's eyes popped open. "For me?"

"Yes." Eleanor said from the doorway. In her arms she held an enormous bouquet of long-stemmed red roses. "Flowers, for you."

"Oh!" Brittany leapt out of bed and grabbed the vase as Jeannette left the room. "They're beautiful!" There must have been two dozen of the lovely blooms inside the crystal vase. She placed them on her dresser carefully. "Do you think they're from Gavin?"

"I don't know. None of the others have cards, either." Jeannette called from the hallway.

Brittany frowned. "Others?"

Her older sister came in, carrying another bouquet, this one of white roses with deep red blushes in the heart of them. "Okay, guys, you can bring the rest of them up here!" She called down the stairs.

Brittany took the new bouquet and put it next to the first one. "The rest?"

She couldn't help but have her mouth drop open as four deliverymen came tromping into her room, each carrying baskets of flowers. There were roses of every color imaginable, multiple pale shades of delicate orchids, brightly cheerful daffodils, and even an arrangement of fragile white lilies that had been lightly dusted with shimmer. When the men left, she could do nothing but stand in the middle of the room, dumbfounded.

"Not one of these has a card?" Not one inch of the room was devoid of flowers. Brittany felt as if she had walked into a fairyland, the illusion heightened by the lovely scent of all the blooms around her.

"Not according to the delivery man." Eleanor told her. "They were all just addressed to Brittany Miller – oh, and I'm supposed to give you this." She handed her a heavy white envelope. Her name was embossed on it in gold lettering. "It was the only thing other than the flowers they were told to deliver."

Brittany ripped it open. It was written in the same style as her name on the front, gold calligraphy, so she couldn't tell anything from the handwriting. It read:

_To the loveliest girl the world has ever known:_

_I hope you enjoy the flowers. They cannot compare to your beauty, but I hope that they can bring you some small joy. I would like to request your presence at dinner tonight. It will require formal attire, if you would be so kind as to allow me the honor of your presence. I will be there at 8:00 sharp to pick you up._

_You hold my heart in your hands,_

_An admirer._

Eight o'clock? That gave her less than an hour to get ready! "Jeannette, Eleanor, I need your help. Whoever sent the flowers – and I'm still betting its Gavin – is going to be here in just an hour! I need to get ready!"

The three Chippettes flurried to get Brittany ready in time for her mystery date. The formal attire bit was a bit tricky, but Brittany had already bought her prom dress –hey, it might be a year away but you can never be too prepared - and figured hey, she could always buy another one. When they had finished, it was exactly 7:51, and Brittany looked at herself critically in the mirror.

"You look beautiful, Brittany." Eleanor said in awe.

Brittany did. The dress was made of a white satin, which clung to her breasts and waist and then flowed down elegantly to the floor. An iridescent sheer fabric that overlaid the satin made Brittany almost seem to glow, and she had done her hair up so that a cascade of perfect curls fell prettily over one shoulder. She had dusted her bare shoulders with a pale shimmering powder, and her makeup was perfect – soft blue eye shadow and rosy lips brought out her best features.

"Something's still missing." Brittany said, frustrated. "I don't know what, but there's just…"

"I know!" Jeannette ran to one of Brittany's flower vases and plucked one of the white lilies from it.

"Hey! Those are _my_ flowers!" Brittany said.

"Oh, quiet, Brittany, just wait." Jeannette grabbed her sister's shoulders and made Brittany face her. "Okay, hold still."

Brittany held perfectly still as Jeannette wove the sparkling lily into her hair. "Now, that's perfect."

Brittany looked at herself in the mirror and smiled brilliantly. "Sometimes, Jeannette, you really surprise me."

Jeannette blushed. "Thanks."

_Ding-dong!_

"He's here!" Brittany tore down the stairs, nearly tripping in her white satin pumps. She slowed as she reached the door, her poise returning. She couldn't let Gavin know how excited she was.

Brittany opened the door slowly. "Hello, Gavin. I-" She stopped, speechless.

Alvin stood there, looking resplendent and entirely too handsome in his tuxedo. In his hand he held a single red rose. "Hello, Brittany."

"Alvin?" Brittany stared at him in shock. "_You_ sent the flowers?"

"Did you like them?" Alvin asked. "I wasn't sure what you're favorite flower-of-the-moment was, so I had them send some of all of them. I hope you liked them."

"They were, uh, beautiful." Brittany didn't know what to say. The last person in the world she had expected to see at her door was Alvin.

He handed her the rose. "I didn't know your dress was white, or I would have gotten a white rose." He smiled at her, and against her will, she felt her heart melt. "But I see that at least one of my flowers made it into your ensemble."

"No, its perfect. Red and white complement each other beautifully."

"You look absolutely stunning, Brittany." Alvin looked at her admiringly.

"You look very nice yourself." Brittany wondered how long they would go on with the pleasantries. This was so awkward…but strangely wonderful. She felt like Cinderella going to her first ball.

She didn't have long to wait. "I know that a few flowers and a dinner date won't make up for what I put you through, Brittany." Alvin said, his eyes sad. "But I'm hoping it's enough to make you give me a second chance. I've been a real jerk, I know."

"You sure have." A little of Brittany's anger was returning.

"No argument here. But…I can't imagine life without you in it. I'm hoping I don't have to."

"And what about the English tart?" Brittany asked, cocking an eyebrow. "You're overseas _girlfriend_?"

"She's not my girlfriend, Brittany." Alvin said, desperation in his voice. "She never was. Even when I was in London, I couldn't let go of you. I couldn't be with Belle even though I thought I'd never see you again."

Brittany couldn't help herself. "Really?"

Alvin smiled. "Really really."

"And you're not going to run away again…" Brittany hated the fear in her voice, but she couldn't help it. "You promise you won't leave me?"

"Never." Alvin took her hand and kissed it. "I promise."

Brittany relented. "All right, Alvin. One more chance. But that promise better be iron-clad, because if you ever do anything like that again…"

"I don't know about iron-clad." Alvin said, reaching inside his pocket. "But what about diamond-clad?"

"What?" Brittany backed away a little. "Alvin, what are you thinking?"

"I'm not proposing, Brittany." Alvin assured her even as he took out a small velvet box from his pocket. "But Belle was telling me about something called promise rings…a symbol of a kind of a commitment that goes beyond dating." He handed her the box. "I thought it would be appropriate, as a sign that I plan to stand behind my promise."

Brittany opened up the box and gasped. A slender gold ring lay within it, the band encrusted with two diamonds surrounding her birthstone – and his own birthstone. "Oh, Alvin, its beautiful."

"Here, let me help you put it on." Alvin slipped the ring on her finger. It fit perfectly. He looked into her eyes. "Anytime you look at this, you can remember my promise. I'll never hurt you again."

"Oh, Alvin." Brittany smiled at him, her eyes alight. "I don't know what to say."

"I do." Alvin said, stepping close enough to her so that she could see the joy in his eyes. "I'd just say…I love you."

Brittany laughed, the musical sound echoing in the night. "Oh, Alvin. I love you, too."

He kissed her then, tenderly at first, then more passionately as the moments past. They probably would have stayed that way for a while if they hadn't heard Jeannette's sniffles behind them.

Brittany and Alvin broke apart and looked back at the elder Chippette. "That's so…so sweet." She hiccupped. Eleanor next to her also looked about ready to burst into tears.

"They're watching." Alvin whispered to Brittany.

Brittany took Alvin's arm.

"Then we'd better go somewhere where they can't watch." She said, smiling radiantly.

**End of Part 15**

**There will be an epilogue soon…and I have an outline for a sequel if anyone might be interested…let me know!**


	16. Epilogue

Everyone's reviews have really kept me motivated to keep writing. (especially Atomos, Fairie-kittie, SilverRider and RavenChild!) Thank you all so much for the compliments!

I have had so much fun writing this…and I can't tell you how much it means that people are enjoying it. Thanks!

Pyxelle

**Epilogue – One year later**

"Are you sure you're ready for this?"

Theodore looked at Simon in exasperation. "Yes, Simon, I'm sure! How many times do I have to tell you?"

"Okay, okay!" Simon held up his hands with a grin on his lips. "I just wanted to make sure you think your arm's up to it."

"I've been working with physical therapy _every day_ and practicing like crazy. I think I'm up for it." Theodore smiled, holding up his drumsticks triumphantly. "I'm sounding better than ever."

"Okay, I'll stop being the overprotective brother that I am then and lets get to it." Simon said.

"Besides, Simon, the set's only for an hour." Alvin reminded him, adjusting the red tie on his tuxedo one last time. "Then the DJ will come on and we'll get to enjoy prom with everyone else.""

"I know." Simon smiled in anticipation. "I can't wait to see the girls."

"Me, too." Alvin winked at Simon. "Brittany wouldn't tell me much about her dress, but she did say it was a deep rose red, shimmery, and strapless. I think I'm going to like it." He paused. "And yes, I know the only reason she even told me that much was because she wanted me to get the right color cummerbund and corsage."

"Ditto with Eleanor." Theodore said. "I had to pick up a daisy corsage – do you know how hard it is to actually find a corsage made of daisies? So I'm figuring her dress is either yellow, white, or both."

Alvin grinned at his little brother. Theodore had changed so much over the last year. He was still in his wheelchair, but the bulky electric chair had been replaced by a much smaller one now that Theodore was strong enough to wheel himself around. And thanks to Eleanor's diligence and excellent cuisine, he had lost the j-tube around six months ago and had finally put on some weight. He would never be as plump as he once had been, but it was good to see him filled out a little again.

Simon looked a little dejected. "Jeannette forgot to tell me what color her dress was. So I just went with white roses."

"I'm sure she'll love them, Simon." Theodore assured him, and suddenly a roaring clapping started outside the curtain. Theodore smiled in anticipation. "It's time, guys!" He wheeled his new streamlined wheelchair to where his drums had been set up.

Simon ran to his keyboards and gave Alvin the thumbs up symbol. Alvin slung the strap to his electric guitar over his shoulder and looked back at his brothers. "Ready?"

"Yes!" Simon and Theodore said in unison. It was their very first concert since the accident. They were more than ready.

The curtain rose. "Hello, Roosevelt High!" Alvin shouted, waving his hands at the crowd. "Are you ready to rock?"

"_Yes!_" The audience shouted as one.

As they began to play, Alvin thought to himself that they had never before sounded so good. Simon's keyboards had never sounded so vital, his own guitar seemed to be possessed by some magic that allowed it to play chords he had never even heard before, and Theodore…well, Theodore was just on fire.

The set was over far too soon for Alvin's taste. When the curtain finally closed, he looked at his brothers in exhilaration. "That was _great_!"

"The best!" Simon agreed excitedly.

They both looked at Theodore. He looked just as excited as the other Chipmunks, but a little nervous as well. Cries of "_Encore! Encore!" _came from behind the curtain.

"You ready for this, Theodore?" Alvin asked.

"Yes." Theodore looked at Alvin. "You sure you don't mind giving up the lead for the encore, Alvin?"

"Nah." Alvin waved his hand nonchalantly. "I guess I can survive just this once." Alvin pushed Theodore's drums offstage while Theodore wheeled himself to the lead microphone. Alvin set himself up with his guitar where Theodore's drums had formerly been.

"Here goes nothing." Theodore said almost inaudibly.

The curtain rose again. The Chipmunks watched the their schoolmates cheer and waited for the hubbub to die down.

When it finally did, Theodore spoke.

"Hi, everyone. I know I'm not usually the one standing up front, but you'll just have to bear with me." Theodore smiled. "I'm a little nervous."

_"Don't worry, Theodore!"_ Someone called from the back of the auditorium. _"We love you anyways!"_

A light flutter of laughter went through the room. "Well, thanks." Theodore said, blushing a little. "As you all know, about two years ago us Chipmunks went through a pretty rough time. In fact, most people that we were gone for good. Well, they were wrong – we're back, and we're better than ever." There was another cheer. Theodore waved his hand to quiet them. "What very few people know, though, is that just before the accident, I had just written my very first solo song. I never got a chance to sing it, though. I was hoping the students of Roosevelt High wouldn't mind testing out my first solo debut tonight."

"_Go, Theodore!"_ another faceless voice called, and Alvin almost laughed to see the embarrassment on his brother's face.

"Eleanor Miller, are you out there?"

Eleanor came forward. She looked lovely in a soft yellow gown with gold sequins sparkling here and there. "I'm here, Theodore."

"Could you come up here with me?"

The auditorium waited breathlessly as Eleanor stepped up onto the stage and took Theodore's offered hand.

Theodore smiled up at her. "I wrote this for you the day we were supposed to have our first date, but, well…it's a little late, but I hope you like it."

The sounds of Simon's keyboards started the first haunting notes of the melody, and Alvin's guitar joined shortly after. Theodore began to sing.

I felt like I've known you since the beginning of time 

_As if since the heavens were made ours souls were entwined_

_Why I waited so long, I'll never know_

_And I can't understand why my love I could never show._

_Time will never tear us apart_

_You will always be the missing part of my heart_

_As long as the earth turns_

_As long as a lover's heart yearns_

_I will be yours._

_The time for waiting is over and done_

_There's no doubt in my mind you're the only one_

_I'll never lose faith in you, I swear on my heart_

_The gods themselves could never pull us apart._

_Time will never tear us apart_

_You will always be the missing part of my heart_

_As long as the earth turns_

_As long as a lover's heart yearns_

_I will be yours._

_I will be yours._

Eleanor's eyes were filled with tears as Theodore ended the last stanza. "Oh, Theodore…that was beautiful."

"It's not much, I know, but-"

Eleanor stopped his words with a kiss. Applause that threatened to bring the ceiling down erupted from the crowd, but the two didn't even seem to notice.

Alvin grinned at Simon and shouted over the crowd. "I think it's a hit!"

Simon grinned back. "Definitely a hit, Alvin. Most definitely."

OoooOoooO

The white rose complemented Jeannette's blue gown just fine. "Don't worry so much, Simon." Jeannette told him as she absently straightened his tie. For once, not a hair was out of place on the eldest Chippette. She looked absolutely lovely.

But to Alvin's eyes, nothing could compare to Brittany. Her dress was of deep red silk that clung and molded to her body elegantly, revealing curves he didn't even know she had. Her lustrous brown hair was once again done up in a cascade of curls, but his time she had tiny red gems studding the curls, making the lights catch them and giving the illusion that she had caught the stars in her hair. Over her red silk opera gloves she still wore the promise ring he had given her a year ago. They _had_ fought since then, but nothing that would make her take off that ring. Alvin sometimes wondered if she knew how happy that made him.

"May I have this dance, milady?" Alvin asked, bowing formally.

"Why yes, sir, I do believe I have a spot open on my dance card." Brittany batted her lashes at him, and then laughed prettily. "Oh, Alvin, you can be so dramatic sometimes."

"Really? This from the drama queen of Roosevelt High?"

Brittany blushed as they began to dance. "I guess I deserved that, didn't I." She paused. "Whatever happened with the Queen, anyways?"

"Queen?"

"The Queen of England, moron." Brittany smiled, softening the insult as he twirled her around.

"Oh, her." Alvin glanced over to where Isabelle and Gavin were dancing. Isabelle was dressed in a prom gown like the rest of the girls, but her hair was still dyed a bright blue. It had surprised everyone when Gavin and Isabelle had hit it off so well. "I managed to keep Belle out of the story, and it turns out that Queen Elizabeth's a sucker for love stories – and a big fan of both the Chipmunks and Chippettes. I had to promise to give her a private concert the next time we tour in Europe." He grimaced. "I still had to pay for the car, though."

"Considering everything," Brittany finished a spin. "It still worked out pretty well, didn't it?"

Alvin looked at Simon and Jeannette dancing closely together, their eyes locked and seemingly oblivious to everything and everyone else in the room. They were even dancing gracefully together, as if moving as one canceled out both their natural klutziness. He had never seen Simon so happy. His gaze then traveled to Theodore and Eleanor, where they were both sitting next to – surprise! – the snack table. Eleanor popped something into Theodore's mouth and then whispered something in his ear. Theodore had to cover his mouth to stifle a full-mouthed laugh at whatever it was she had said.

Finally Alvin looked back at Brittany. She had never seemed so beautiful, and he couldn't imagine a more magical night than this one. "I guess it did, didn't it."

Brittany sighed and rested her head against his chest. "I love you, Alvin." She whispered.

Alvin smiled. "I love you too."  
Life…was sweet.

The End 

**Thanks so much for reading, everyone.**

**I have an outline for a sequel if anyone might be interested…let me know! Some people have already shown interest, so I'm already getting some ideas…angsty, of course, but hey! You've seemed to like it so far!**

**The sequel is called _Justifying the Means_, if anyone's interested **


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